Knicks in (Friday) Five: June 12, 2026

Consumers, to say I’m experiencing FOMO is a gross understatement of what I’m feeling as the Knicks make their long-awaited ascension to NBA champions (Inshallah). I pulled an all-nighter this weekend watching the game at a Philadelphia-themed bar in London. Walking out of that bar into the morning light at 5:00am tested my resilience, as did periodic wake-ups to check the score in the middle of the night this week.

It’s only fitting that today’s newsletter celebrates this dream team, with a teensy bit of backstory for those who aren’t familiar with their game. And if this doesn’t interest you whatsoever, scroll to the bottom for two non-Knicks bits.

For starters, if you’re trying to understand the significance of last night’s victory, here are two short clips to give you a sense of how miraculous it was. With one second to go, Og Anunoby (born in London btw!) pulled off the greatest comeback in the team’s history. Karl-Anthony Towns called it the “Right hand of God.” More on that in The Ringer.

More angles:

This 2021 story on Knicks fandom is a lovely read, with quotes from my forever favorites Desus and Mero and Josh Safdie. The saddest part of this moment is that Desus and Mero aren't together to celebrate it. Relatedly, this clip of them riffing on Knicks fandom makes me miss their podcast even more.

My friend Scott sent me this in a groupchat that originated in discussing the most unhinged LinkedIn post we’ve ever seen. It has now fully devolved into Knicks banter and memes. He’s in Italy, I’m in London, and our friend Dana is in Brooklyn giving the best possible live updates. This cross-European commentary roundup is perfect:

I’ve been thinking about this girl and her invisible dunk for two weeks now:

I’m also thinking of Ahnaf Hossain, a 23-year-old fan who gave us this poetry:

My mayor still Muslim

My bagel’s still Jewish

The pope’s on our side

Knicks in five

More on him (and the odd Kalshi tie in) here.

A combination of the sage cleansing and prayers clearly worked:

I want a future in which this stoop ,and all the dogs on it, belong to me.

For the non-Knicks bits, my friend Joelle sent me this which warrants 0 commentary:

And finally, full disclaimer: I loved T. Swift from the “SLAMMIN’ SCRIN DOOR” days and genuinely loved Folklore and Evermore. Unfortunately, this is a really solid impression. Tree Paine, if you have Google Alerts on, you should have these two help promote whatever b-side/vinyl/limited run single will be coming out next (there’s too much of that!). ‘Youarethebishopgoingdiagonally’ might be my favorite.

Knicks in Five,

Roya