Let's Go Knicks!

sketches from the glorious week in NYC

This week I’ve been live drawing around the city trying to capture all the beauty of the NBA finals. A sentence I never thought I’d write? Yesterday morning when I woke up, I looked at James and said “Today is the day I became a Knicks fan. For life.” Who knew!! It’s real baby!! I’VE BEEN SUCKED IN. Never have I ever cared about anything like this before in my life but here I am proudly sitting on the bandwagon. I’m committed! I don’t care what you think of me!!!

I didn’t have plans to watch game 1. I was walking home from my friend Alana’s fabulous puppet show in Williamsburg and was very entertained by the amount of people I saw in the streets, creatively watching the game. Anyway they could do it, they were doing it. I was like okay I like this vibe for us. I gotta draw this.

My friend Lilly texted me to meet her at Brew Inn to catch the second half of the game, the part where they started winning. There was one proud Spurs fan, a drunk woman in a cowboy hat, who screamed at all the times no one else was screaming. Everyone respected her, which cannot be said for some other Spurs fans in town and I find this very embarrassing/upsetting for our city. Not cool.

James ran over to meet us for the last quarter. When they won, he built a new superstition that he should watch the beginning of games at home, then come meet us in public to view the comeback. Seemed wise enough. Contrary to public opinion, I actually do know a lot about basketball because my brother was/is very good at it and I spent my childhood attending his games. I don’t know shit about professional sports but I can proudly say, I know what’s going on. I know, you’re shook right now!!!

Lilly said we should watch the next game together and that sounded like a good plan to me. The bouncer snuck us in the back door to Roebling Sporting Club for Game 2 (privilege of hot girls), which was already a can of sardines. As we squished into what I’ll call “the second row” behind the bar, we got stuck next to a man who would not stop farting. Devastating! Rude??? I fought my way to a waitress and told her I sincerely hoped she would be making a lot of money tonight. She then made a completely racist remark about her latinx coworker and I was like wow okay I was just trying to have a normal conversation!!!! Nevermind!

The bar had mixed vibes between genuine fans—one woman had been saving her seat since 5 PM—and young women searching for hot guys. Don’t call me sexist, it was just the truth! Eventually Lilly and I both regretted wearing our teva sandals because the amount of beer on the floor had reached our toes. But then, famously, the Knicks won in the last 5 seconds and everything became worth it. The only other time I’ve felt that amount of communal excitement in New York is when Biden won in 2020. It’s truly contagious.

The morning after Game 2 I was trying to come up with Knicks jokes. After doodling the above, I was informed that it was actually Let’s Go Knicks, not Go Knicks. My bandwagon energy was showing!

I sent this daily into The New Yorker, which they did not run, but I think it’s funny (duh). I for realsies thought that Knickerbocker was some famous rich family in New York who originally owned the team and not what it actually is, a pair of pants.

Lilly sent me the NY Mag article that was for the bandwagoneers, a very quick history of the Knicks and why this was so beyond exciting. I read that, then the algorithm was onto me. IG delivered me all sorts of interviews. Spike Lee, Mariska Haggarty, all the lure. And god dammit it GOT TO ME. Jalen Brunson, what a guy!!!!!

For game 3 I needed my own merch. I felt annoyed that everyone had Knicks shirts but no one had Knickerbocker shirts. My hot fix rhinestone gun came in handy and I made myself a fabulous tank top before I went to Bushwick. Now that I was drawing all this stuff I needed to keep changing scenery. I got the last free table at KCBC and had to hold it down, defending my land until my friends conveniently showed up at 8:25. Yes, it’s true, I am such a good friend.

Everything was worth it to hear all of New York boo our stupid fucking president—who absolutely cost us the game.

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I think everyone in New York on Wednesday night could taste the depression in the air. The subway rides were silent except for the few fans who were trying to cheer everyone up. I ran into fellow comedian Fallon Boles on the G train. She shared that earlier today she walked by a car that had the license plate “KNICKS5”. Maybe it was a good omen? The superstition around sports is fascinating. Millie Von Platen did a great piece about it for The New Yorker earlier this week.

Here’s another rejected daily:

Game 4 had me saving a table at Spritzenhaus a causal 3 hours early. I really don’t recognize myself right now. Like what am I doing?? I do not care about sports!! The amount of conversations I’ve had with my mother that go like this—

Mom: Sometimes you just have to start caring, because your husband or your kid cares-
Hilary: Yeah fuckin right dude

END SCENE.

and yet!!!! I’m having so much fun!!!!!! (I can hear someone saying back to me, of course you’re having fun, you just joined a fandom that’s finally doing well after suffering for 50 years and I know I know I know, I’m so annoying right now)

As we all know by now, game 4 was terrifying. I found myself quite literally on my knees. James, who was no longer following his rule of meeting me in the second half, was trying to convince me to leave the brewery in the 3rd quarter. I REFUSED. I was like you don’t know dude!! YOU DON’T KNOW. And I was right. He had no fucking clue. No one did!!!!

**not pictured, I peed my pants.

One of the funniest parts of the night, other than me peeing my pants, was one guy at Spritzenhaus came up to me after the PYSHOCOTIC win and he was like “SHE NEVER GAVE UP.” I wanted to explain to him, if you knew me, you’d know how insanely off-kilter this is for my personality, but instead I just agreed with him.

This next cartoon is of course yes another rejected daily. All week I’ve been thinking about how much basketball looks like dancing. I’m constantly wanting to shout at the screen “Great choreo!!” It’s so poetic! It’s deep! It’s lyrical!

Godspeed to everyone who is trying to figure out where they are watching tomorrow’s game.

Thank you for reading! New posts every Friday!

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• ICYMI: Get your tix to the next Cartoon Strips!

• Or come see me perform this weekend: I have a show tonight, tomorrow, and next wednesday

• Looking forward to: game 4 duh

• On repeat: Hilary Duff’s Mature

• Currently reading: my own book that i’m working on

• Recently Watched: Predators

• Don’t forget you can pre-order my new prints!