New York Knicks Finally Backing Up “The Mecca”

I’ve been following basketball and the NBA for years now. I’ve been through a lot while being a New York Knicks fan. From the Starbury days and the Donnie Walsh era with dealing with horrible teams, I’ve seen all the heartache. I was too young to fully grasp the Ewing days so this is really my first time taking in New York basketball at its finest.

With that being said, I have always heard these rumors that Madison Square Garden is the “Mecca of Basketball’ but never understood it. With this fantastic start of the season by the Knicks, it looks like Madison Square Garden has finally become a real home court advantage.

Everything just seems different this season. All the years of building up a championship team and clearing out salary cap have led to right now. This is the season Knicks’ fans and the entire organization has been waiting for and we all know it’s here. There was no better way to send a message to the league and New Yorker’s than the 20-point blowout of LeBron James and the defending champion Miami Heat on opening night. The Knicks punched the Heat in the mouth and got New York fired up.

The Knicks have played four games at home and have beaten their opponent by an average 15.8 points. That is no easy feat especially since a majority of those teams are no joke: Heat, 76ers, Mavericks, and Pacers. It’s no secret a major reason why the Knicks have been dominant so far is the MVP-type play of their leader Carmelo Anthony.

As of November 25, ‘Melo is third in the league in scoring with 25.6 PPG and has stepped it up in front of his hometown crowd, delivering 28.6 PPG at the Garden in five games. He has been a loyal Mike Woodson soldier so far and has been doing anything and everything to win games.

I feel like a few things have factored into why MSG is finally living up to its name as the “Mecca of Basketball” and is truly a home court advantage.

Mike Woodson has a lot to do with it and deserves all the credit in the world. The Knicks are 26-7 on his watch, which is built on the foundation of teamwork, defensive intensity, and unselfishness. The Garden is also in phase two of its transformation and renovation. New Yorker’s are getting the state of the art arena they finally deserve while still keeping the arena they have been calling home forever.

New Yorker’s are now reenergized with the excellent play of the Knicks with addition to improvements of the World’s Greatest Arena. Knicks’ fans have always supported the Knicks, selling out games even when the team was one of the league’s worst. It is now time for the Knicks to return the favor.

A final reason why the Knicks’ players and their fans are very prideful of their home court this year is the arrival of the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets organization and fans have been talking a lot of smack this offseason, saying they are now the city’s basketball team. This is a Knicks city and I feel like the entire Knicks’ nation took offense when the Nets thought they could just swoop in and take the city’s fans. The Knicks are giving New Yorker’s one hell of a show especially at home. They are playing with a chip on their shoulder, proving everyone that this is their city.

New York City basketball is back. Madison Square Garden has been dying for elite basketball and huge games to be played under its roof. It’s time for the Knicks to win and they know it, especially in front of the best fans in the whole world.