For Long Island Knicks fans under 30, this NBA Finals run just means more

As Knicks fans bask in the glory of their first NBA Finals appearance this century, it may mean just a bit more for younger fans.

Since the Knicks’ last Finals appearance in 1999, they have had 17 under-.500 seasons. A large portion of Knicks fans either weren’t alive or were barely old enough to remember the team playing on the NBA’s brightest stage. Instead, they were clinging to players on teams who had no realistic hope of bringing home the franchise’s first title since 1973, or coming remotely close.

Well, those days have come to an end, and only four more wins over either the Thunder or Spurs stand in the way of the Knicks’ first title since 1973. For Long Island Knicks fans in their 20s, the moment certainly isn’t being taken for granted.

“I would say it was more sadness, I guess, that we couldn't experience that,” said Matthew Seifert, 27, of East Rockaway. “I mean, even comparing it to life as a Yankee fan. I mean, we had 2009. But when I grew up, we were coming right out of the four [Yankees] championships in five years, the three-peat. It felt like I had just missed out on that whole 90s era of New York greatness, including the Knicks.

“And it was like, well, we got stuck with all this. So maybe a little bit of resentment that they got to experience that, but I guess that's why we have to enjoy it now, right?”

David Cytryn, 24, of Port Washington, said: “Reflection is the biggest thing. I've just been looking at old tweets and old pictures that I have in my camera roll from Knicks games that I went to and stuff on Instagram that my friends and I posted. It's just been such a whirlwind of emotions, thinking about how bad the Knicks used to be and how far they've come now.”

Cytryn said he and his friends made “silly” Instagram fan pages for players most fans now have forgotten about, such as Mindaugas Kuzminskas, Henry Ellenson and Maurice Ndour – none of whom played more than a season’s worth of games for the Knicks.

Cytryn and a friend went to the Garden’s watch party for Game 3 of the first-round series against the Hawks on April 23, prompting another funny story.

“He's wearing a No. 11 jersey, and we're walking around the stadium,” he said. “It's just so funny to me because obviously everybody's wearing an 11 jersey [for Jalen Brunson], but he's the only one who's wearing a Frank Ntilikina No. 11 jersey.”

Like Cytryn, 29-year-old Kevin Blessington — an East Rockaway native who now lives in Long Beach — thought several players could be the franchise’s “next big thing” before they fizzled out, mentioning Allonzo Trier, Shane Larkin, Trey Burke, Toure’ Murry and Willy Hernangomez.

One of the more distinct memories he has is attending the Knicks’ 124-123 win over LeBron James’ Lakers on March 17, 2019, when Mario Hezonja blocked James’ shot with 2.3 seconds left to preserve the win and improve the NBA-worst Knicks to … 14-56.

From 2014-20, the Knicks went 147-329 (.309).

“I would always hear these stories about how we were always one of the greatest basketball franchises in the world, and everyone wants to play at Madison Square Garden,” Blessington said. “But we would never be able to get the guys that want to – in their prime – play at Madison Square Garden, outside of the guys we drafted.”

Dix Hills’ Justin Silberlust, 28, has a particularly unique perspective. Last September, he launched “Forever Next Year,” a community for the miserable New York sports fans who live by the message of “Hey, there’s always next year.” He has an Instagram account with over 9,000 followers and sells Forever Next Year-themed merchandise of the local teams.

The original idea would be to shut down operations if one of his teams – the Knicks, Jets or Mets – win a title.

Well “next year” could be now for the Knicks, and he’ll instead plan to remove all Knicks merchandise from his website if they win it all.

“I think that's just such a special part about being a Knicks fan right now, is that we have been waiting all these years,” he said. “And it's always been about next year, next year, next year.”

Port Washington’s Eric Epstein, 24, formed a connection with Knicks legend Walt “Clyde” Frazier over the years.

Frazier recorded a video for Epstein’s bar mitzvah montage, and they met in 2015 at Frazier’s former restaurant in Manhattan, Clyde Frazier’s Wine and Dine, where they got to hang out and shoot hoops. A decade later in 2025, Epstein and Frazier sat next to each other during one of the Eastern Conference semifinal games between the Knicks and the Celtics at MSG.

While getting to hang out with one of the franchise’s all-time greats was unforgettable, Epstein had only known about Knicks championships through stories.

“I heard [about] all these greats like Pat Ewing, Willis Reed, Walt Clyde, and I was jealous,” he said. “We got [Carmelo Anthony in 2011], I thought it was going to change … I was wondering what it felt like to win in New York, and my dad had all these great stories. And finally you could see all these greats are coming to all the playoff games, and they see something special.

“Pat and Walt giving Jalen the Eastern Conference Finals trophy, that just means they're passing the torch and the time is now.”