Perhaps it was the pure exhilaration, the adrenaline running high after the Knicks completed the greatest comeback in Finals history.
Maybe it had to do with the reality that the Knicks are now one win away from ending a 53-year championship drought after decades of incompetence.
The euphoric — and even legally problematic at times — celebrations by Knicks fans from the average Joes to Hollywood A-Listers on Wednesday night and into early Thursday morning provided just a brief preview of the mayhem that may descend upon New York City on Saturday.
For the first time since June 22, 1994, the Knicks take the court Saturday night in San Antonio for Game 5 of the NBA Finals needing just one win to claim their third championship.
The Knicks famously failed to do so in two attempts in 1994, losing Games 6 and 7 to the Rockets in heartbreakers.
This time around, thanks to their Game 4 heroics, they have three chances to win one game and wash away the memory of John Starks’ Game 7 to forget.
Should they knock off the Spurs, there surely will be a celebration for the ages.
Post-game celebrations outside Madison Square Garden have become a staple in recent years when the Knicks have been in the playoffs, but these Finals outbursts have felt different.
Fans did not leave Madison Square Garden for some time Wednesday night, showering in every last second from a once-in-a-lifetime win thanks to OG Anunoby’s heroics.
The celebrities, from Taylor Swift to Ben Stiller, showcased sheer joy throughout the night while watching courtside and then celebrating after the game.
Clips from outside MSG showed a fan on a bicycle being held in the air, with the fans below surely not feeling any pain while on such a sports high.
They chanted, “Thank you, OG” after his last-minute brilliance, including a block on De’Aaron Fox in the final 15 seconds that set the stage for his later heroics.
Fans ran through the streets as cars beeped their horns, not giving a damn about traffic after watching Jalen Brunson finally break through against a tough Spurs defense.
The tops of a police car and a taxi became a dance floor.
Some celebrities even took to the streets in celebration.
Rhianna shot a basketball in a Carnival-like game alongside rapper husband A$AP Rocky.
Even former NFL MVP Lamar Jackson celebrated with some fans.
And to think this all happened after a third Finals win.
It’s been 15 years since the last championship by a Big Four New York City sports team — the Giants won Super Bowl 2012, while the Liberty won the WNBA title last year — and the city is waiting to erupt again.
If you give some Knicks fans truth serum, perhaps they would admit they’d rather the Knicks clinch at home in a potential Game 6 on Tuesday night.
Regardless of the venue, should the Knicks finish off the Spurs, Wednesday’s post-game festivities may seem like child’s play.
The City That Never Sleeps will host an all-night party, full of joy and bedlam, that rings out from Manhattan to Brooklyn to Staten Island to Queens and The Bronx.
The watch is on.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
