Knicks fever hits NYC as ‘styling and profiling' locals, tourists gear up in hopes of Cinderella run to topple Celtics: ‘This is very exciting'
Knicks fever was visible across the Big Apple this week as locals and tourists geared up at the Midtown NBA Store and fans tried will the underdog team to finish off the hated Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.
The team's jerseys, hats and other swag were flying off the shelves at the NBA's Midtown store, as the orange-and-blue wave become the trendy colors of the spring and casual fans are suddenly die hards.
5 The Knicks improbable run to have the Celtics on the cusp of elimination has energized the fanbase.
Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
5 New York has a 3-2 series lead on Boston with Game 6 at Madison Square Garden on Friday, which has fans excited.
David McGlynn
'It's been crazy here — the day after Game 3 was the biggest day,' one employee told The Post, pointing out that that was coincidentally the first playoff game the Knicks lost against the Celtics.
'They buy everything. Shirts, hats, jackets. Anything.'
The Knicks are up 3-2 in a playoff series against the defending champion Celtics — despite many basektball fans and oddsmakers believing New York didn't have a chance in the series.
They went up 2-0 with back-to-back comeback wins in Boston, fueling a wave of optimism before trading wins with Boston in the following three games.
Friday they'll have a chance to win the best-of-seven series and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000 — and keep alive the city's dreams of a Cinderella-run straight to an NBA championship.
The possibility that the Knicks could beat the Celtics in a playoff series — a feat they haven't accomplished since 2013 — is enough to turn any New Yorker into a Knicks fan this spring.
5 Umut and Elif Sevgi turned into Knicks fans for the week despite typically cheering on the Houston Rockets.
Katherine Donlevy/NY Post
'It's not my favorite team, but we're in New York!' said Umut Sevgi, who was visiting from Turkey with his wife, Elif.
The pair typically follow the Houston Rockets in support of Turkish player Alperen Sengun, but Sevgi traded in his red and black colors this week for a blue and orange cap and a New York T-shirt.
It was a coincidence that the Sevgis were in the Big Apple in time for the landmark occasion, but they promised they'd wear their new gear and settle into a barstool to watch the Knicks take on the Celtics Friday.
'The New York name seems good to me!' said Elif, pointing to her husband's shirt.
5 Clarissa Solone bought Jalen Brunson jerseys for her sons and husband back home in Argentina.
Katherine Donlevy/NY Post
Clarissa Solone also dropped a few hundred dollars on Knicks jerseys — with star point guard Jalen Brunson's name stitched on the back — as a souvenir for her sons and husband, who were stuck back home in Argentina.
The family are massive Knicks fans, she explained, adding that it was a coincidence that her trip to New York City with her parents coincided with the playoffs.
'They hate me right now, oh my gosh!' Solone said of her husband and sons.
5 Knicks fan Kevin Shah outside TD Garden after the Knicks' Game 5 loss, which did not deter many supporters' confidence in a series win.
David McGlynn
'I would like to go to Madison Square Garden, but I couldn't find tickets. Very excited, like $1,000,' she added, saying she was happy enough relishing in the excitement in the air.
Similarly, Eva popped into the store to buy a Knicks quarter zip for her uncle, who was eagerly following the games from his home in Africa.
One man, who didn't give his name, said his home was filled to the brim with Knicks regalia from his nearly five-decade career as a mega fan.
When asked if he minded seeing other people piggyback onto the team's success, the Manhattanite said he didn't mind: 'It's exciting, it's fun. It's in the air.'
'I grew up watching the Knicks during the '78 season,' he said, referring to the year the team finished in second place after falling short to the Philadelphia 76ers.
'So this is very exciting. It feels like coming home.'
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