The great drought of the New York Knicks

By Kevin Murphy ’12

Well, barring any unforeseen mishaps preventing my graduation, this will be my final Couch.  It is only fitting that I write once more about my beloved, and also often hated, New York Knicks.  They find themselves in a David vs. Goliath like playoff series against the mighty Miami Heat, and after last Saturday’s 33-point rout in Miami, the Knicks’ chances appeared nonexistent.  Especially when you consider the Knicks’ injury situation.  Shumpert went down with an ACL on Saturday, Lin has been out for months and likely won’t return, Davis’ back is as finicky as toddler’s palette at dinnertime, Chandler is battling some kind of plague-like flu, and Stoudemire punched a fire extinguisher and lacerated his hand in disgust after Monday’s game.  It’s laughable.  Then again, the Knicks looked somewhat better after their Monday night loss, this time only by ten.  Maybe all hope is not lost.

On the other hand, with that loss the Knicks found themselves tied with the Memphis Grizzlies for most consecutive playoff game appearances without a single win.  That makes twelve in a row, and it’s not like they’ve only struggled the last few years.  It’s now officially been over eleven years since the Knicks have won a playoff game.  I was ten when they beat the Raptors in 2001.  I should mention that they lost that series.  The last time the Knicks won a playoff series was in 2000, the final year of the Patrick Ewing era.

For almost the entire span of my Knicks fandom, they have not even won a playoff game.  I am beginning to believe that the Knicks are cursed, like the Chicago Cubs of basketball.  How can I even be a fan of a team that has been so consistently bad?  It’s inconceivable.  But now, at the ripe age of 22, I am a committed Knicks fan, and even if it isn’t this year, I’ll stick around hoping desperately that the Knicks will turn it around and win a playoff series in the next decade.  So don’t talk to me about the Brooklyn Nets.