June 03, 2026
If you're reading this, you probably hate the Knicks.
They absolutely tore the Sixers apart in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs last month, and they did it by taking over Xfinity Mobile Arena, to the chagrin and embarrassment of the Philly faithful.
It's sort of hard to root for a juggernaut, a force like this season's Knicks, that has set an NBA record (for both regular season and postseason) by winning 11 games by a combined 262 points (or 24.8 per game).
The Spurs, their opponent in the 2026 NBA Finals tipping off Wednesday night in San Antonio, are more of an upstart budding dynasty, with Victor Wembanyama starting to break through a bit ahead of schedule. They took out the defending champion Thunder in seven games and while they'll still be favored to win a title, the Spurs aren't exactly a Rocky story either.
Even considering all of this, Sixers fans should be rooting for the Knicks over the next two weeks. As painful or even offensive as that notion might be, the New York fan's plight is one that should resonate with Philadelphians. Here are five reasons why:
Any Knicks fan old enough to have lived through an NBA title parade down Broadway is at least in their mid 50s. It's been 53 years since Earl "The Pearl" Monroe and Walt Frazier led the Knicks to a title, getting revenge over the Wilt Chamberlain Lakers in 1973. Since then it's been mostly mediocrity, with a few heartbreaks mixed in.
The Philly parallel for the Knicks isn't the Sixers — who have been to the NBA Finals and won a championship more recently than NYC has. It's actually the Eagles.
The Eagles lost Super Bowls in 1981 and in 2005. Great teams fell short of glory time after time, whether it was Brian Dawkins or Reggie White lining up on defense. That is until 2018, when Nick Foles and the underdog Birds changed everything.
The Knicks lost the 1994 and 1999 Finals, their only two trips since the 1970s. Patrick Ewing and Larry Johnson didn't make it happen. Neither did Carmelo Anthony, or Bernard King.
Eagles fans know the pain Knicks fans have dealt with. And can relate to their energy this postseason.
The Knicks have essentially been the home team in every arena they've played in this spring. Yes, they are probably rich, well-to-do fans from the Manhattan suburbs. You know, like that Marty Supreme guy and the famous director. But there are also a lot of blue collar Philly-like fans who have been obsessively following this Knicks team.
Giants and Yankees fans have definitely had it pretty good — the G-men won Super Bowls in 2008 and 2012. And the Yankees, despite having not won a World Series since 2009, have won 27 of them. Boo hoo for them.
But really, New York fans have had a lot of crappy teams in their city over the last decade. The Jets haven't been truly good for decades. The Rangers and Islanders are feisty at times but haven't won much since the 1980s and 1990s. The Nets are a dumpster fire and the Mets can't seem to figure out how to correctly spend Steve Cohen's money.
Last championship by team
| League | New York | Philadelphia |
| NBA | Knicks (1973) | 76ers (1983) |
| Nets (1976, ABA) | ||
| NFL | Giants (2012) | Eagles (2025) |
| Jets (1969) | ||
| NHL | Rangers (1994) | Flyers (1976) |
| Islanders (1983) | ||
| MLB | Yankees (2009) | Phillies (2008) |
| Mets (1986) |
The two fanbases aren't all that different. Knicks fans really want it. That means something.
Another obvious connection between the Knicks and Philadelphia is three of their best players. The Eastern Finals MVP this year was Jalen Brunson, a guard who always seems to be able to find a way to score. He helped lead Villanova to NCAA Championships in 2016 and 2018. Forward Mikal Bridges was born in Philly, went to high school in Malvern and also won both of those titles with Brunson. Josh Hart, the third member of the Nova Knicks, left a year before the other two but was a key piece in the the '16 title run as well.
The chemistry between the three is hard to deny and there really is something to the winning mentality the three have from their time playing for Jay Wright just west of Philly. Philadelphia is a city that has been starved of good college basketball teams for a few years now, and the Nova Knicks certainly highlight how special those Wildcats teams were.
Does it feel better to lose to the team that won the championship? It's happened to the 76ers a few times in recent years. In 2019, perhaps with the best version of the Joel Embiid Sixers, Philly lost in Game 7 to the eventual champion Raptors.
Maybe it doesn't soften the blow completely, but it's not like the Sixers blew it against a lesser opponent having a better day than them. The Knicks are having a better run right now than any team has ever had playing American professional basketball. Did the Sixers look good getting swept to them in Round 2? No, they did not. Would it have mattered if they played to their potential? Judging from how the Knicks have mowed down opponents it's hard to say it would have.
We'll have to see if this dominance continues against the much more stout Western Conference and the Spurs, a team the Knicks should have much more trouble with.
Which leads to the final reason to root for the Knicks. San Antonio fans are spoiled. They had David Robinson. They had Tim Duncan. And they have Wemby. How can such a small market team have three of the best big men ever to lace it up?
Here's a comparison between the Kicks and Spurs since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976:
| Knicks | Spurs | |
| NBA titles | 0 | 5 |
| Finals berths | 3 | 7 |
| Winning seasons | 21 | 33 |
| Total All Stars | 44 | 64 |
Wemby and the Spurs are going to win a title. Probably a few of them. He's still just 22 years old. It'll add some character and drama to his story if he has to work a little harder for it.
Go Knicks.
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