Knicks Ignite New York Harmony With 27-Year Return to NBA Finals

2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 29

A 27-year gap since the Knicks last reached the NBA Finals has turned New York noticeably warmer, with strangers making eye contact, drivers honking in celebration and orange-and-blue chants echoing across the city.
That shift stems from a playoff run rare enough to feel generational: the Knicks have not had a real title shot in 32 years and have not won a championship in 53.
The team’s surge has made the city feel like a giant small town, uniting fans across neighborhoods and routines in a shared civic mood.
The frenzy has grown so intense that watch parties outside the arena were barred over police concerns about what dense, ecstatic crowds could become.

Is this magical run the start of a new Knicks dynasty or a fleeting moment of unity for a long-suffering city?

How did a patient front office transform the NBA's biggest laughingstock into a dominant finals contender in just a few years?