It is tough being a New York Knicks fan. Tough is an understatement. Waiting endlessly year after year for “our” promising season, Knicks fans know what heartache feels like. Enduring the highs and lows (mostly lows), we always say “next year is our year.” Time after time, we feel even more defeated than the roster itself.

Why, you might ask, do I continue to support this helpless team? I have been a Knicks fan since I understood what a dunk was. Rooting for the dynamic Knicks dynasty at an early age, I remember sitting on my couch in New York watching the games with my family and specifically hearing my older brother violently yell at the Television: “CALL A TIMEOUT!” My mom would be asking in the background, “you already know they’re going to lose, why do you continue to watch?" While my dad and I tried to be optimistic.

The Knicks of my childhood comprised of Stephon Marbury (I used to own a pair of his pink “Starbury” sneakers), Jamal Crawford, Nate Robinson, Channing Frye (I still have his autographed #7 jersey in my closet somewhere) and David Lee. The ‘05 New York Knicks roster established this sensation of luminosity every time I attended their home games. There is something very radiant about the New York crowd: the fans. Representing the mecca of basketball, Madison Square Garden is not just an arena filled with 18,200 diverse New Yorkers, the arena represents one coalesced unit. It is not a salad bowl, but a melting pot. Many times I have witnessed strangers hugging and embracing each other after an exhilarating alley-oop or three point play.

As this once promising season comes to a close, I began reflecting on the OG Knicks of my childhood. The one thing I miss most about my Knicks team is their “serendipity” as Walt Clyde Frazier calls it. My brothers and I would watch every game to the very last second, regardless of the 20 point deficit. I would look forward to watching this last seeded team “dish and swish” or “slice and dice.” The classic “take me home” intro song never failed to give me the chills. Nowadays, however, I watch my Knicks with a different enthusiasm. This newfound enthusiasm, I now realize, stems from the players.

Although I miss the New York Knicks 2005 roster, this roller coaster of a franchise, filled with extreme highs and extreme lows, has always brought one thing to its fans: zealousness. The boys in the orange and blue have never failed to provide excitement for the most passionate fans in all of basketball. Recalling my favorite moments: Jeremy Lin’s three point buzzer beater against the Raptors in 2012, Carmelo Anthony’s 62 point game against the Hornets in 2014, the brawl between the Knicks and the Nuggets in 2006, Jamal Crawford’s insane three point buzzer beater with 3.7 seconds remaining against the Nuggets, Nate Robinson's dunk over Dwight Howard in the 2009 Slam Dunk Contest (my twin brother insisted on creating a massive "Nate The Great Dunking Machine" poster with an eventual signature on it), David Lee’s tip in during double OT with 0.1 seconds left on the shot clock in 2006, and last but not least, I will never forget watching the 2012 Knicks Vs. Bulls OT game in Israel at 4 in the morning.

If one thing is for sure, regardless of who is on the team, how many wins and losses the team has, or who the coach is, New York Knicks fans are the most loyal fans. Between 2005 and 2017, the Knicks have hired six different head coaches, reached the playoffs three times, and even failed to tankproperly. Even if the players and coaches continue to change, the loyalty will always remain the same. #KnicksTapeAlways