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Rich Cimini
Multiple Authors
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — They don’t sit in Madison Square Garden’s celebrity row with A-listers such as Ben Stiller and Timothée Chalamet, but players on the New York Jets are rooting for the New York Knicks all the same.
Perhaps the Jets, down on their luck for 15 years, can find inspiration in the Knicks’ first trip to the NBA Finals since 1999.
“Seeing the people, the way they get behind their team, I know Jet fans are frothing out the mouth to cheer like that, and we want to give it to them,” wide receiver Garrett Wilson said Thursday after practice. “I personally want to give it to them the most. Yeah, man, it’s cool to see and I’m glad I’m up here for it. I’m rooting for the Knicks like hell. That gives us a taste of what it might look like when we figure this thing out, which we’re excited for the opportunity.”
The oddsmakers don’t expect it to happen this season. The Jets are listed at +10000 to win the AFC, according to DraftKings. The only team with longer odds is the Miami Dolphins at +15000.
Then again, who knows?
“Ya gotta believe,” said Wilson, (presumably) unwittingly invoking the rallying cry of another famous New York team — the 1973 Mets, National League champions. “Ya gotta believe before anything happens and the belief is high.”
The city is buzzing with Knicks mania. So is social media, where fans — the famous and ordinary — are positively giddy. The Knicks have won 11 straight in the playoffs, allowing long-suffering fans to dream about their first NBA championship since 1973.
The Jets and their fans know all about long waits. Their only Super Bowl appearance came in January 1969 — a good year for New York sports. The Jets upset the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III, and the Knicks won their first title in the 1969-1970 season. Joe Namath and Walt “Clyde” Frazier were two of the biggest sports celebrities in the city.
“I’ll tell you what, that is a gritty, gritty team,” Jets coach Aaron Glenn said of the current Knicks, citing Jalen Brunson’s leadership as the key to their success.
“Man, I’m pulling for those guys, I really am, because they play their ass off, you know, and it’s fun to watch,” said Glenn, who happened to be wearing a black T-shirt emblazoned with the word “Grit.”
Fandom apparently has its limits, though. Wilson was asked if he’s planning to get tickets for the Finals.
“You know what? Nah, nah,” he said, laughing. “Yeah, nah. It’s expensive.
“But I’m going to be watching.”
