Dad-The Knicks are World Champs

                                            

We lost my dad five years ago. Over these last few years I think about him in random ways: when I'm shutting the lights off in the house like he used to do, or when I walk with my hands behind my back like he used to do, or I say something he would have said.

Sometimes it's an easy and natural thing. I drive a reddish/orange car because I ordered it right after he passed since orange was his favorite color. In my car on the right is a small American flag which represents his service in the Army.

On the other side of my dashboard is his blue, New York Knicks hat. His favorite sports to watch were football and basketball. I'm pretty sure we only went to one New York Knick game and it was on March 8, 1970.  I was nine years old and the Knicks lost to the 76ers by 17 points.  Two months later they won their first World Championship. Three years later they won their second championship and I thought it was going to be a regular thing.

Over the years we watched plenty of Knick games, battles with the Celtics, the Pacers, and the Bulls. The Knicks had some great players like Patrick Ewing and Bernard King and some very good teams, but there was no championships. There were a lot of heartbreaking moments against Michael Jordan and Reggie Miller and others. We would talk on the phone a lot about the games over the years.

Sunday is Father's Day and this past Saturday, The New York Knicks won their first championship in 53 years. They won 15 of their last 16 playoff games, an incredible streak.  On Saturday, my son and I got together with my wife, his wife, and our granddaughter. We at ate at a pizzeria/bar/restaurant and we watched the game together. When we finished eating, the girls headed home and it was just the two of us watching the second half.

My dad was with us watching, I had his blue hat on. The Knicks kept coming back. They needed one more win for the championship. They were eight minutes away, then 6, then 3. Finally they took the lead in the game and it could have gone either way. Twenty seconds, four seconds, and it was over.  A four point win, winning all three road games in San Antonio to win the series in five games. The Knicks leader, Jalen Brunson, could not be stopped and he scored 45 points in the game.

What does the thrill of victory look like? Below is my son and I and my dad's hat moments after they won. 

One Knick announcer at the end said, "Knick fans this is not a dream." Tens of thousands of Knick fans across New York were watching the game in the streets and were now jumping up and down. Another announcer said, "Next stop is The Canyon of Heroes."  The next day I listened to Sports Talk Radio all day and could not hear enough that The New York Knicks were World Champions. The parade down the streets of New York on Thursday was incredible with around 2 million people celebrating.

This was a great Father's Day gift for me and my son and my dad. Happy Father's Day dad-The Knicks are World Champions!