St. Knicks scored big-time at Thursday’s MSG game.
The hoops team and several charities earned lots of heartwarming extra points by making a special courtside delivery to a New Jersey family saddled with its fair share of heartbreak.
The Liau clan took to the center of the court at Manhattan’s Madison Square Garden for what they thought was a photo-op — but were instead handed a massive $20,000 check.
“It’s going to go a long way,” emotional dad Kevin Liau told The Post.
The family plans to use the cash to alleviate its financial burden from teen Peter’s long medical battle with bone-marrow and other blood issues — and the massive fire that destroyed their home in Hackensack last year.
“We’re definitely shocked and in awe and just very thankful for the generosity of the Knicks and the Garden of Dreams Foundation and Chase Freedom and everyone involved,” Kevin said.
Jessica Liau, Kevin’s wife and Peter’s mom, noted of the family’s recent trials, “There was just one bad situation after another.
“It was financially, emotionally [draining]. Everything just all came together as a perfect storm.”
The family’s tumultuous journey began in 2019 when Peter, now 15, began suffering from never-ending nosebleeds and his blood’s inability to clot.
The worried parents brought their son to dozens of different doctors looking for answers, but it would be another three years before he was diagnosed with bone-marrow failure and severe aplastic anemia.
Peter said what he remembers most from that scary time were the doctor’s visits — and being forced to give up playing his beloved basketball and baseball.
“I didn’t really get what was wrong with me, so I didn’t really feel scared, but after I found out about everything, it was definitely a lot more scary for me,” the teen said.
Fortunately, Peter’s younger brother, Parker, was a perfect marrow match, and the pair went into surgery in August 2024 to deliver the lifesaving transplant to the elder son.
But just as things were finally looking up, disaster struck for the family again.
Just a month after the surgery, a dehumidifier in their basement overheated and burst into flames, engulfing their home in an inferno that consumed everything.
Parker, now 11, was home at the time of the fire and continues to suffer psychological damage.
Jessica turned to Make-A-Wish for help regaining the family’s “happiness,” a journey that in turn helped them find MSG’s Garden of Dreams Foundation.
The Liaus were invited to their first-ever Knicks game earlier this month to watch their favorite team destroy the Charlotte Hornets.
Peter served as the “Honorary Coach” for the night, helping Mike Brown run drills with team superstars Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and the rest of the “best players.”
“It was pretty crazy to be standing on the court with the players,” Peter recalled about the experience.
“I was part of the press conference, and I was on the court during the pre-game stuff, and I drew up plays for Coach Brown … It was exhilarating.”
For bravely undergoing the painful transplant to save his brother’s life, Parker served as the player’s ball boy for the game.
“It was definitely a lot cooler to do it with him than to do it solo. … [We’re] as close as siblings can get,” Peter said.
The boys’ mom said, “It was incredible for us to be there, to be on the court.
“It was our first Knicks game, and we watched the Knicks play every night! To see them in person and get autographs, be able to talk, to be able to take pictures together — It was all incredible.”
For Jessica and Kevin, the opportunity to see their sons with their heroes was already a “once-in-a-lifetime” joy — until the Garden of Dreams then invited them to return to celebrate Christmas Day with the team, too.
“We really appreciate it,” Kevin said.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
