Triumph of the underdogs: New Yorkers are reveling in the Knicks and Mamdani

The Guardian World Sunday 31 May 2026, 13:00 UTC By Adam Gabbatt in New York 1 min read

Key Points

From watching their team win to watching their mayor in the nosebleeds, residents are feeling hopefulNew York City, hardly a city deprived of energy, is having a moment. In the past two weeks, the bars have been even more packed than usual. Several nights a week, usually at around 11pm, there has been a seemingly synchronized honking of horns.

From watching their team win to watching their mayor in the nosebleeds, residents are feeling hopeful

New York City, hardly a city deprived of energy, is having a moment. In the past two weeks, the bars have been even more packed than usual. Several nights a week, usually at around 11pm, there has been a seemingly synchronized honking of horns.

Walking around the city, it doesn’t take long to find out why. People wearing New York Knicks jerseys are high-fiving each other, and Knicks flags fly from cars, windows and bodegas, as people celebrate the team reaching the NBA finals – and having the chance to overcome five decades of (mostly) failure.

New Yorkers (ORG) Knicks (ORG) Mamdani (PERSON) hopefulNew York City (LOCATION) New York Knicks (LOCATION) NBA (ORG)

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Triumph of the underdogs: New Yorkers are reveling in the Knicks and Mamdani

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