The Good & The Bad of LINsanity for Die-Hard Knick Fans

Being both a journalist & a Knicks fan, I couldn't avoid talking about LINsanity. LINsanity has swept across headlines around the world and has picked up on the bandwagon that "Melo-drama" started. So it's time to break down the good and the bad of LINsanity from a die-hard Knicks fan's point of view.

THE GOOD: 

Jeremy Lin's momentum brougut the Knickerbockers a nice 7 game win streak including a big win over the LA Lakers & a buzzer beater by Lin in Toronto. The Knicks are becoming more relevant now & even President Obama has complimented Lin. Lin (so far) is the point guard the Knicks were in desprate need of since the departure of Chauncey Billups. Baron Davis has been waiting for his recovery from injury to show New York what he's got but he may have to come off the bench to provide a spark because Lin is showing everyone he belongs in New York. Winning games and getting a high seed in the East is what seems likely if this momentum keeps up. If they reach the Eastern Conference Finals this year I'll be satisfied and if they reach the NBA Finals I'll be a mix of surprised and happy. This kind of excitement is what I've been waiting for since A'mare said "THE KNICKS ARE BACK!"

THE BAD:

ESPNarcade.com is on the money with this one. In any sport you will find band-wagoners (for those of you unaware with the term it means a fan who likes a team when they get hot) and especially in the case of the Knicks it makes me sick. I've heard people say "Jeremy Lin has me watching basketball, I've never been a fan but this kid is really good." And my favorite I heard while scorekeeping heard a coach tell his team after a game "Hey do you guys think the Knicks will win every game, No, you did good today" a parent said to the coach "The Knicks will win every game, they have Jeremy Lin and are unbeatable" I restrained myself not saying anything. I have nothing against Lin, I'm a fan, but I remember when the Knicks were the laughing stock of the NBA (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cj8-fsnV8nY) and when people would show me that Family Guy clip or the picture I have below. I'd like to share with everyone my Knicks memories.

I've been a Knicks fan since I could remember watching basketball, my first NBA jersey...a 90's Knicks Allan Houston jersey. I remember crying as a 5 year old when I watched the Spurs win Game 5 of the NBA Finals when they celebrated on the court at MSG. Reggie Miller use to rip my heart out and back in 2004 my dad showing me a broom after his Nets swept the Knicks in their last playoff appearance before the 2010-11 season. After 2004 the Knicks became a joke in the NBA with the arrival of Isiah Thomas. I could go on and on with all the players who played for the team in this time and most of these guys aren't remember for their time in New York. It wasn't until November 22, 2008 that I got to my first Knicks game after years of begging my parents & my uncle just to go to one game. I didn't care how bad they were or if they played a bad team, I wanted to be there. On that November night in 2008 I saw the Knicks beat the Wizards 122-117. When I got news of my uncle buying the tickets I bought a Jamal Crawford jersey at Modell's and all be it that Crawford was traded the night before the game. That night was so fun it became more of a common place for my uncle & I to purchase Knick tickets on StubHub.com and saw games that interested me or my brother(who's a Bulls fan but loves basketball). We went on April 4, 2009 to see the Knicks fall to the Raptors because I wanted to see Jason Kapono. The only Knick road game I attended was at iZod Center on November 21, 2009 when the Knicks were 2-9 and the Nets were 0-12, that game was the last time I saw a Knicks W in person. On February 27, 2010 it was Retro Night at MSG and the Knicks fell to the Grizzlies, I'll always remember that game because at halftime the Sugarhill Gang performed "Rapper's Delight" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKHEAylqDds). The next time I went to MSG was for the 2010 Open Practice and sat courtside at MSG for the first time and at the end of practice there was a "$10 ticket deal" announced. By the time my uncle, my brother and I reached the front of the line at the box-office with slim pickings for tickets vs good opponents: we got 3 tickets for the infamous asbestos game vs Orlando and I bought 2 tickets for my friend Brandon and I to see the Knicks take on his Mavs. I attended opening night at MSG on 10/30/10 and the Knicks fell to Portland. About half an hour before our train for the Orlando game, I got a text message saying the game was cancelled and my options were either refund or nothing so we went up the following Sunday for a matinee between the Knicks & 76ers ($7 tickets on StubHub). The last Knicks home game I attended was the 40 point loss to Dallas last year. It was a lonely time to be a Knick fan, the only other true Knick fan in my high school class was my good friend John. John and I went to school together since first grade and he was always someone I could talk Knicks to without someone asking me why I was a Knick fan and the only other guy in my class who wore Knicks gear with pride. In my family my fellow Knick fans were my Uncle Rich(who's the reason I'm a Knick fan) and my cousin Drew. When the Melo trade became official, I facebooked with Drew & John in excitement and called my Uncle saying the suffering was officially over. The day after the Melo trade, was a dress down at good ol Cardinal McCarrick High School and John and I were waiting on line for lunch when this kid Dan who was a Nets/Grizzlies fan came to lunch wearing a Melo Knicks t-shirt, John and I looked at each other and said "And so the bandwagon begins".

It's a sad but true reality in sports, people question your fan allegiance when your team does good because everyone gets on the bandwagon. When your team takes a downturn they leave and for the true fan that's the only ray of sunshine that you get during these times. As a fan I will ALWAYS stand by the Yankees, Jets, Rangers and Knicks. To me being a fan is like marriage, when you're a fan of a team it's for better or for worse. When championships are won, it feels more satisfying when you remember the bad times.

16 year old me, when I was convinced LeBron was going to save the Knicks

17 and satisfied with Stat & Gallo

18 and ready for NYK to return to being an Eastern Conference Powerhouse

That does it for my Knicks post, thanks for letting me share my memories of being a Knicks fan with everyone and hopefully the best ones are still to come! GO KNICKS!!