New York Knicks fans make city blue and orange ahead of NBA Finals

[p]"[b]This is our season, this is our time. We're going all the way[/b]," said the 53-year-old, who sported glittery shoes with a basketball design, a large medallion with the team's emblem, and the increasingly ubiquitous, blue [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/new-york-knicks/WCNO4nbt/"]Knicks[/a] cap.[/p][p]She spoke to AFP outside Madison Square Garden, the home of the Knicks, where fans gathered Wednesday to watch a video feed of the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/basketball/new-york-knicks-WCNO4nbt/san-antonio-spurs-IwmkErSH/?mid=4zPsYSbC"]first match[/a] against the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/san-antonio-spurs/IwmkErSH/"]San Antonio Spurs[/a], being played in Texas.[/p][p]Graham said the Knicks' successful run - reaching their first NBA Finals since 1999 - has brought people together in New York.[/p][p]"[b]New Yorkers can be rude - everybody's in a rush, everybody's pushing - but when people see you with the gear on, it's like: 'Let's go Knicks![/b]'" she said.[/p][p]As excitement builds around the team that last won the NBA Finals in 1973, New York is awash in the Knicks' blue and orange colors.[/p][p]At subway stations, US actor and comedian Tracy Morgan's voice booms out over the speakers with a rallying cry of "[b]Orange and blue skies, baby![/b]" and "[b]Go New York, Go![/b]"[/p][p]Meanwhile, New York's Mayor Zohran Mamdani has signed a tongue-in-cheek executive order "temporarily repealing bedtimes" to encourage children to watch the late-night games.[/p][h2]'So excited'[/h2][p]"[b]You notice a lot of good energy knowing that everybody's rallying behind the team,[/b]" said Damani Darling, a 22-year-old communications student.[/p][p]He admitted to not being a loyal Knicks follower but said he backed New York sports - especially as the city's last major victory was the Giants' Super Bowl triumph in 2012.[/p][p]"[b]It feels good that we have a team that actually could win something for us,[/b]" said Darling.[/p][embed guid="e313c8e0-89b4-4294-a2f6-72386a14796d" url="https://x.com/nyknicks/status/2061949873927127511?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Several fans mingled Wednesday by a subway stop near Madison Square Garden that city officials have painted blue and orange to honor the Knicks.[/p][p]Professional artist Katie Thomas, 29, sat nearby with a friend, both drawing the scene in their sketchbooks.[/p][p]"[b]It's great to see the city just so excited and all the fanfare,[/b]" Thomas, wearing a Knicks cap, told AFP.[/p][p]"[b]People are literally around a subway station right now instead of going through it. They're taking pictures for each other and having cute little moments,[/b]" she added.[/p][h2]'Buzz'[/h2][p]Many Knicks fans will be watching the NBA Finals at watch parties before the team plays in New York next week.[/p][p]Madison Square Garden's event sold out in an hour. Other supporters will watch from outside the venue -- something New York police had initially blocked after unrest among fans following a Knicks game in May.[/p][p]Local bars, many adorned in blue and orange flags and balloons, are also hoping to cash in on the excitement.[/p][p]"[b]There's a buzz around the place, you can feel it,[/b]" said John Crombie, a bartender at the Irish pub Jack Doyle's, which is hosting watch parties.[/p][p]"[b]It's great. Bars are packed, restaurants are packed. Everyone's doing well,[/b]" the 34-year-old added.[/p][p]At another pub, a staff member told AFP they were fully booked for all the Knicks' matches, saying the phone had been "ringing off the hook."[/p]