I wasn’t alive the last time the New York Knicks made it to the NBA FInals in 1999. But I’m more than excited to watch it this year.

While I enjoy the arts and humanities immensely, I’ve also been a basketball fan for about four years now, after watching my first NBA game with my fiance, Josh, in Madison Square Garden.

The team has remained special to us throughout the years and is something we bond over.

Despite my personal connection, basketball fans can’t ignore the momentum following this year’s Knicks team, stacked with gifted players such as guard Jalen Brunson and centers Mitchell Robinson and Karl-Anthony Towns.

Being a team that has played together for over a year — and for some players, more — they also have an undeniable chemistry that I think will benefit them in the championships.

Not to mention their 11-game winning streak against three teams, the Atlanta Hawks, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Cleveland Cavaliers, throughout the Eastern Conference Finals.

Win or lose, I believe the 2025-26 Knicks team is shooting for basketball history.

I’m not a sports expert, but I do work with a few, so I reached out to the Mirror’s sports editor, Buck Frank, for some based insight.

After watching game one of the finals Wednesday night, he said the team has been playing so well together because they’re locked in on winning each game.

“The focus has been winning one game at a time, one possession at a time,” he said. They’re obviously after a championship title, as the franchise secured coach Mike Brown.

As a result, the team operates with an unmatched fluidity, almost like in-motion poetry.

Brunson, for example, can drive the ball past many opponents and somehow manage to make a basket before viewers see it for themselves.

But even without Brunson, the team can still hold its own. Brunson stepped out because of a knee injury during the first half of game 1, but his teammates on the court — KAT, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart and Landry Shamet — kept the momentum alive during uncertainty.

One of the biggest trials the Knicks are facing in this finals series is Spurs center and power forward Victor Wembanyama.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m a huge fan of Wemby. At 7-foot-4-inches, he can still make crazy three-pointers, block the ball and be a team player. Plus, he spent an offseason training with the Shaolin Monks to better his athletic abilities.

“The Spurs are a great team, so clearly nothing has been decided yet, but at this stage, losing in the Finals would be a big letdown for Knicks fans,” Frank said.

I agree with Frank — that is what makes the series fun to watch, but also hard to predict.

Look at Josh, for example. He’s the biggest Knicks fan I know, and he changes his mind about 50 times when predicting the game’s outcome, admitting defeat in one breath and cheering for OG Anunoby in the next.

But I think what makes this Knicks team special is how easy they are to root for. After every game, Brunson tells broadcast reporters that he’s looking for ways to improve, while KAT and Hart laugh with each other in the press room. And fans like relatable players.

These players are what drive Knicks fans to parade the streets of New York City and sweep the sidewalks with random brooms.

“It’s hard to imagine how New York will look if the Knicks win it all, but this team — and Brunson — would go down as one of the all-time greats in the city,” Frank said.

Mirror Staff Writer Colette Costlow is at 814-946-7414 and on Instagram and Facebook @colettecostlow.