Game Day

Pressure is privilege.

This morning, as we are now mere hours away from the start of Game 1 of the Knicks-Sixers series, I won't be long-winded (for a change) or use a bunch of nerdy numbers to prove a point.

We've dissected the details and parsed the potential particulars plenty.

Now comes the fun part.

There's nothing quite like playoff basketball—the jitters leading up to a series opener, the anxiety and anxiousness one experiences watching their favorite team play a do-or-die contest, in which every single possession in the fourth quarter feels like life or death for die-hard fans on both sides.

But that's the purpose of this post: to remind everybody to embrace the angst and apprehension, to soak up the suffering and suspense.

Knicks fans know postseason appearances aren't guaranteed.

Pressure is a privilege.

So, for folks who have remained loyal to this franchise despite suffering through the awfulness of the past two decades, make sure you enjoy today!

For fans who lived through the Scott Layden and Isiah Thomas and Phil Jackson regimes, you've earned this.

For those devotees who died a little inside when the Warriors took Steph Curry at seven, forcing the Knicks to settle for Jordan Hill at 8…

For New Yorkers who tried to talk themselves into the Antonio McDyess, Eddy Curry, and Andrea Bargnani trades…

For folks who attempted to convince themselves, guys like Maciej Lampe, Ron Baker, Jerian Grant, Andy Rautins, Mardy Collins and Cleanthony Early would develop into studs…

For fanatics that survived their favorite team signing Jerome James and Jared Jeffries and Joakim Noah to gargantuan contracts…

For those fans, whether the Knicks win big or lose by a bunch, enjoy today.