Eli Manning is all for New York, through and through. He dedicated his entire career to the New York Giants. 16 long seasons, two Super Bowl wins, “Once a Giant, Always a Giant, Only a Giant,” as he writes himself. Even after retirement, his love for NY runs deep. He’s backing up new Giants quarterback Russell Wilson and even competing with Michael Strahan for a minority ownership stake with the Giants. But his love for the Big Apple doesn’t just start or stop with football.

Eli Manning once tossed a signed football into the Madison Square Garden crowd. The New York Knicks lost that day, but at least one fan went home happy with a once-in-a-lifetime souvenir from an NFL legend. Eli Manning used to play basketball in high school. When Payton would come home from college, they played one-on-one basketball till one day their dad took the post down. And after so many years in the NFL, Eli Manning still celebrates his connection to basketball. He still plays a little with the guests on the Eli Manning Show. So when he gave a shoutout to the Knicks on their incredible victory, it wasn’t that much of a surprise.

Somewhere out there, a 55-year-old Joey Tribbiani is yelling at the screen, “The Knicks Rule All!!!” And if you needed proof, the crowd outside Madison Square Gardens on 17th May was it. Eli Manning took this opportunity to hype up the Knicks as well. He shared a post on his IG story with three simple words, “Let’s go @nyknicks !” But wasn’t the caption that stole the show, it was the picture he shared above it. In the picture, Eli is holding the classic ‘K’ sign over his mouth as a tribute to the Knicks’ victory over the Celtics. The fan who caught the football by Manning back in January? That person’s looking from their phone to the football and nodding with a smile right now.

And this wasn’t just any random victory. It was history in the making as the Knicks finally broke a 25-year-old “drought” and made the day for everyone at MSG. We’re talking about a comeback that’s got people “climbing up lampposts”, jumping up on taxi roofs and cheering their lungs out. One for the ages, for sure, and the city that never sleeps might just enjoy a good night’s sleep on this day. But why was this particular victory so important?

New York Knicks’ 25-year curse broken

Let’s break it down. It’s not just Eli Manning and Joey Tribbianni that love the Knicks. The New York Knicks haven’t entered the conference finals in over 25 years. They haven’t won a championship since 1973, and the last time they made the finals was in 1999. And this season, they haven’t just flipped the script on their history. They’ve literally balled it up and thrown it out the window of a NY skyscraper. This is the biggest comeback story for the Knicks and it’s hitting all the right notes with the fans.

The Knicks led a 38-point victory over the Celtics. And it was a lot of hard work too. As Ogugua Anunoby said, “We made the emphasis to come out with a lot of energy, to fly around – We corrected what we saw on film and maintained it for the whole game.” But while the fans are celebrating with all their might, the players aren’t happy with just this. As Knicks forward Mikal Bridges put it, “They can enjoy it for us right now, but obviously, we’ve got way more to go. I’m happy for them.” Their eyes are fixed on the prize, and their next match against the Indiana Pacers.

The Knicks are clearly itching for their next matchup. A win against the Pacers is the only thing separating them from the NBA finals. But June 5th is a long time away from now. The Knicks need to double down on their efforts, and keep the win streak going. At least for now, they can celebrate. Bigger games are right around the corner.