The Knicks need Josh Hart to bring enough juice to go around

This time last year, these weren’t just basketball games being contested at Madison Square Garden. They were passion plays. There wasn’t just the usual affinity between fan base and basketball team filling the Garden; it was a genuine love affair, a crush that grew larger and louder with each of the seven home playoff games the Knicks played. 

Outsiders often wonder about what makes New York crowds at anything — basketball, baseball, hockey, even football when we used to field pro teams here — so different, so unique. It isn’t just the noise. All buildings in all cities are loud in the playoffs. Road games are always a bear to survive. 

(Here is a guarantee: After two games in Detroit, you will hear the Little Caesars Arena PA announcer, John Mason, yelling “DEEEE-TROIT BASKETBALL!” in your sleep.) 

But it is different. And a large part of what makes it different is what truly appeals to New York sports fans. Look: Winning will always be the biggest asset toward charging crowds up. But New York has always had a soft spot for heart, too: If you play hard, with relentless energy, if you sweat and bleed for your dinner, New York is going to notice.