The Knicks Are In The NBA Finals. How Do Local Residents Feel?

The New York Knicks are in the NBA Finals for the first time in 27 years and the vibes from Manhattan can be felt all the way up here in the Catskills.

It’s a Friday at Big Eddy Brewing in Narrowsburg. There are people at the bar, some sitting at tables eating food, and others who are sitting on couches around a wall with a projector screen, their eyes glued to Inside The NBA, the pregame show airing before game two of the 2026 NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs.

The Knicks disposed of the Atlanta Hawks in Round One and swept the Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers in Rounds Two and Three respectively.

Success for the Knicks has been rare, and as you might imagine, fans of the team are trying to soak it all in.

Bill and Jenny are a couple who live in Narrowsburg, and Bill says that this Knicks run has been pretty special.

“We were actually down in the city a week or so ago when they won outside the Garden, which was just crazy and amazing, so I feel like I’ve been riding that energy all the way up here,” Bill said. “It’s one of the things we love about it up here, it’s so peaceful. That’s why we moved here to kind of get away from the city. But that electricity of like, it’s still your team, you know? So you feel it no matter where you are.”

Jenny says she’s inherited her Knicks fandom and it is paying off.

“When I grew up, my dad has been a long suffering Knicks and Mets fan. So this, and he’s getting up there now and everything and his passion for it has kind of rubbed off on me. And so is Bill’s,” she said.

Bill says he’s been a Knicks fan his whole life, while Jenny says she’s only started following the team recently. But both of their earliest memories of the team involve a couple of legendary players.

“[It] was probably Clyde Frazier and Earl ‘The Pearl’ Monroe. I was kind of aware of them. I was a little more of a baseball fan as a little kid, but I knew they were kind of legendary and they were still playing, but the Knicks were kind of on a down slide at that point,” said Bill.

“For me, it’s Patrick Ewing.” Jenny added. “When I was growing up, that was the guy.”

Another fan, Mike, also from Narrowsburg, says he can even feel the celebratory vibes from Madison Square Garden.

“I mean, you look at videos on Instagram and stuff going on in the city, it’s, you know, Knicks fans. MSG is crazy. They’re the wildest fans in the world, ” he said.

Mike also says that this Knicks team might be here to stay beyond 2026.

“I think they really have a good lineup. I think if they just, you know, keep building on this team that they have and ride that momentum, you know, I don’t see why not. If they stay clear of injuries and stay healthy, I think they’ll be in good shape for next year as well for sure,” he said.

The Knicks hung on and won Game Two 105 to 104 as Spurs star Victor Wembanyama missed a last second jump shot.

The Knicks lead the Finals 2-0 and are just two wins away from winning their first NBA Championship since 1973. Game Three is tonight at Madison Square Garden.

Image: New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby, right, New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns, center and San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama battle for the ball during the second half of Game 2 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Friday, June 5, 2026, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)