Knicks take the Chip

Wow, the last six months are blurry. Some of that blurriness from the emotional investment with the New York Knicks as they completed the incredible run through the playoffs into the unbelievable and extremely well-deserved championship last night. Fifty-three years and relentless investment into the dream, and it took the perfect conditions of this persistent team to make it happen. A love letter to New York.

I am absolutely fascinated by the psychology of imagining the worst case scenario, of confronting the conditions that create a disadvantage, of tolerating the pain and suffering that is bound to exist. It is a remarkable circumstance to dodge the ill effects of the world. I used to be so envious of those circumstances–what is the feeling when you are not fighting your own mind and your environment to experience the world in wonder and unwavering optimism that you will prevail? And I have realized that it was never optimism that was appealing. Optimism requires a mental calculation, of assessing the situation and choosing to be hopeful. I am far too logical for that, and that must be why it never fully landed. Much more reachable was the feeling of realism.

The condition that was actually appealing yet so often elusive is better described as sanguinity. There are brief yet intense moments when this emerges in my brain–the innate conviction that the opportunity builds hope because it is wading through the grind that delivers the result, and that result was something you did not dare dream (not because you were afraid, but because the dream could morph)—and I try so hard to seize that energy to carry into my next actions. I know that feeling exists, but it gets buried very easily.

And that brings me back to the Knicks. I am less swept up by basketball and the conditions for the team roster than the inspiration behind many of the individuals on the team. There is publicity and PR and many millions of dollars wrapped up in these stories, but it does not change the story. There is pain. There is resilience. There is work. There is joy.

I am so proud of this team. I am so proud of this moment. I am so proud of this city. I am so proud that this is exactly where I am.