Game 2 is about 45 minutes away. The epic Game 1 was Wednesday night, it's now Friday and I'm just now getting out of shock mode, probably because Game 2 is almost here so it's forcing me to get ready for Game 2, which I can't wait. I know that once it starts it'll be like "Okay, Game 1 is history, let's see what's going to happen now."

It might be a very regular game.

But I had been so shocked over Game 1 that I had trouble sleeping Wednesday and Thursday night. It was just too much excitement and shock, and so much gratefulness that I'm not a fan of either team so I get to be relaxed!

So I've been obsessively watching replays of the high-bouncing "choke shot" by Tyrese Haliburton to tie the game up at the buzzer. And obsessively reading the Knicks reddit section. Man let me say, I can't imagine having gone thorough what they have gone through. As if Wednesday wasn't enough with the blowing a big lead with under 3 minutes left, the choke shot bouncing high in the air and then landing in...just basically all the other-worldly stars having to line up regarding everything that went wrong for the Knicks and right for Indiana, it is something only Ryan Coogler could have scripted. Lol.

So reading the Knicks fans forums, they were bringing up their previous trauma from the Reggie Miller multiple 3's and I remember watching that game! I don't remember him doing the choke sign (though I certainly would remember if I were a Knicks fan), and I do think there were 2 different games where he went crazy shotting a bunch of 3s in a short time. I was a huge fan in the 90's and rarely missed a game during the time of all those legends

But then the Knicks fans kept mentioning some other 1990's incidents that I couldn't remember and had to go watch the videos (when I know I watched them on TV back then)...and that was what they call the Patrick Ewing finger roll at the end of a Game 7 Championship, and another of John Starks missing 3's in the finals.

Which Type of Fandom Pain is the Worse?

I was like good lord these people got some heavy duty memories. When I watched those incidents thankfully my favorite teams the Detroit Pistons had already gone cold for years and with different players now playing, I switched to liking the Portland Trailblazers with Clyde the Glyde Drexler, and they only had a good short run. I absolutely hated the Chicago Bulls. 

(((So yeah I understand of course it is very different to be emotionally tied to a team no matter who is playing for them, coaching them & no matter the year or their record. It's too emotional, and I'm glad I'm only like this for 1 team and that's as an Auburn Football fan (though I've stepped back and stopped putting my heart into it. So I definitely have pain being in the state of Alabama, but being the nemesis for one of the most famous teams in sports, (Alabama Crimson Tide); so I definitely used to have to deal with disgust and heartbreak most years during the Iron Bowl.)))

But I still think I would feel worse as a Knicks fan because of the unusual manner in which some of their losses occurred. And unlike those college bowls, which are a huge, emotional thing don't get me wrong, but you can come back next year (even though when you lose it feels like the world is over). But still, when it comes to what the Knicks have gone through, you're never guaranteed to be back in the playoffs again and certainly not the conference finals again nor championship again and game 7 again. Ouch!!!

I'm sorry but I'm grateful I don't know that kind of pain as a fan. Ouch!

But during the yearly college bowls, you're playing against your main nemesis so the emotions are way higher than a regular game. So there's no easy way to determine which level of pain is worse. It will vary based on so many factors

My NBA Paper Clippings from 1994

So listen, the Knicks forums were saying "1994" and I was like okay wait, that was my high school graduation year and I know I kept a bunch of NBA newspaper article clippings so that I could remember highlights from the 1994 NBA season! On my, how unreal that 31 years later some incidents from the 1994 season would be hot topics again. It's completely amazing for me on a personal level. 

When I kept those clippings, of course there was no way of knowing you'd be able to instantly watch every game again in the future. During that time, newspaper clippings were your main source of records and memories!! So it is so cool for me. I mean these days many newspapers printing companies have gone out of business.

You don't even hear the words "newspaper" anymore lol. So it's been super cool for me to reflect back on how I kept newspaper print articles during a year that has become a big topic of discussion for Knicks fans

Now I haven't watched the NBA regularly since the 1990's, lol, so with the modern stuff that traumatized the Knicks fans, I wasn't familiar with those at all. (Something about Trae Young).

(The WNBA has been excruciatingly painful and unhealthy for me due to the race issues so Unrivaled was so healing for me. As long as I stayed away from socials and articles, which I did! I'm not watching the regular season of the WNBA but I do plan to watch the playoffs. Talk about being overly-attached to those Black women in the league, I've decided to pull back to protect my peace, yet still not let this society steal away everything I enjoy.)

Thus, I only randomly decided to watch these NBA playoffs for 2025. Staying away from drama and hatred is one thing but it's time for me to go back to trying to enjoy things I used to

So my high school memory book was buried under the heavy junk that we need to declutter and clear out, so my husband helped me get it out and I wanted to see which articles I clipped.

I kept the Playoffs chart and there it was in my handwriting "Houston vs New York"...Winner: Houston. It's like wow this is the game 31 years later I'm reading about from diehard Knicks fans. You know back then, we didn't get to know what anyone was thinking except the people in our immediate vicinity. And I'm in Alabama where college football is a god, that's another topic. 

But my point is, with no professional basketball teams nearby, during that time I guess most people just went with who was the most famous, and you know who that was. 

So you never got to see the depths of what fans in those exact cities were going through during those times. So I can remember that I was always bored with the Houston Rockets and always liked Patrick Ewing (he seemed so nice) and John Starks (he was so adorable). So I definitely was rooting for the Knicks during that game. Of course, rooting because Patrick Ewing was nice and John Starks adorable, I know my level of disappointment was no where the rage and heartbreak of Knicks fans. 

The Losses Hurt More than the Joy of Winning

I do remember that after my favorite team, the Detroit Pistons had won back to back, now the Bulls were rising and unstoppable and were leading their series 3-0 against Detroit. I don't know why the game was on so early but I rushed home from school, through my books down so I could catch whatever I could. I just mostly remember Detroit losing and the media losing their minds as they left the court early and didn't shake the Bully Bulls, I mean Bulls hands. lol.
They mentioned that Boston had also done that when the Lakers dethroned them. It wasn't a problem when Boston did it...gee, I wonder why? I'm really glad that I didn't know the about the racism of what was going on back then. Poor sportsmanship is one thing, and it's common. Why excuse certain people as being "competitive" and making bad decisions vs ripping apart people's character, over a damn handshake. 
Again, back then I didn't know how deep racism ran, but I remember still being extremely disappointed not only that we lost but that they were going out in a controversial circus and it was rough to see. I honestly barely remember the happy feelings from the 2 championships they won, but I remember how I felt during their downfall.

I'm telling you, at this age and in this climate, extreme sports fandom is not worth it. Just too much psychological risk and the good doesn't overpower the bad. It's so weird! And I'm using the pain I'm reading about in the Knicks forums, to make sure I don't get deep again in anymore fandom. Because once again, the losses hurt more than the wins feel good. (Something like that)

Jalen Hurts and others said this sentiment a lot during the Super Bowl and so that's when I was like, wow, that is so true even as a fan. Imagine how it is for the players.

Reggie Miller

I've always liked Reggie, never had any issues with him.

So most fandoms know lots of pain, and I certainly do as an Auburn fan who chooses not to watch their games anymore, lol, but the major piece to this unique New York Knicks fan puzzle is the Reggie Miller effect. The fact that in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, in which they have not been to in 25 years:

-They played against their nemesis, Indiana Pacers (which I do believe NY has lots of rivalries but still) 
-Statistically it was a historical collapse, in which the team who has a certain amount of lead during the final minutes (I think they said 2.5 minutes) of the game, has won every single time in history....until that game 1, wow, what a way to make bad history
-What are the chances that a player would shoot 6 three pointers in a row (Nesmith)

-Then during the final shot of regulation, there would be another guy who gets his own rebound and then shoots the ball where it has one of the highest bounces ever and then it goes in?? (Tyrese Haliburton). Just wow

-Then he does the choke sign and points to Reggie Miller who is right there as a commentator

Man, just really. 31 years ago Reggie Miller did a choke sign after making a bunch of 3's in a short time, but he was mostly doing that to Spike Lee specifically, and the Knicks did go on to win the series. But emotionally, those facts, those details don't matter. It's the emotional impact and boy, the guy who did that gesture to your team in the playoffs, not just a regular game but the playoffs 31 years ago being in the building, calling the game while a youngin repeats the same gesture?

It doesn't matter if it was under different circumstances, both were still a heated playoff game and man that is so much to deal with as a Knicks fan

I personally would have been like, of all the players who could have made the dagger shot, why did it have to be someone who was waiting to do that choke gesture which just pushed the dagger deeper and deeper. Just wow. And then I'd also be like, why did Reggie even have to be there? What are the chances of all those factors coming together!??!

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Okay it's tip off game 2, probably will be a "regular" game but bring it on