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NY’s Knicks, Nets, Rangers, Islanders, and NJ’s Devils in playoffs for first time since ‘94
By
David Brand
and
Giulia Heyward
Published Apr 17, 2023
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John Angelillo/UPI/Shutterstock
By
David Brand
and
Giulia Heyward
Published Apr 17, 2023
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It’s a good time to be a sports fan in New York City.
For the first time in nearly 30 years, all five local men’s hoops and hockey teams are in the playoffs at the same time.
The Knicks, Nets, Devils, Rangers and Islanders are all in action this week with the NHL and NBA postseasons underway. That hasn’t happened since 1994, when the Rangers hoisted the NHL’s coveted Stanley Cup and the Knicks lost a seven-game series in the NBA Finals.
“Fans from Long Island all the way to New Jersey have a reason to watch the playoffs,” Steve Politi, a sports columnist for The Star Ledger, told Gothamist. “It’s pretty much unprecedented.”
The basketball postseason got off to a rocky start for the Nets, who traveled to Philadelphia to take on the heavily favored 76ers Saturday. The Sixers blew them out 121-101.
But their crosstown rivals, the Knicks, pulled out a tight win in Cleveland a few hours later. The Knicks beat the Cavaliers — led by Westchester County native and super Mets baseball fan Donovan Mitchell — 101-97.
“All three of the local hockey teams are in the Eastern Conference, where only eight teams make it,” Politi said. “Statistically, it’s hard for them all to get in. And when they all do – I mean, it’s been a long drought.”
Unfortunately, there’s no way all five local teams can make it into the second round of their respective sports’ playoffs.
In hockey, the Rangers and Devils are reigniting an old rivalry when the puck drops on the first round. Cue the David Puddy gifs.
They face off in Newark’s Prudential Center on Tuesday night, raising the stakes for fans on both sides of the Hudson.
Then there’s the Islanders, who squeaked into the postseason in their second year at the new UBS Arena in Elmont.
“The Islanders are still looking for their first Stanley Cup since the early ‘80s,” Politi said.
Fans in the Big Apple have a new venue to watch their favorite team. The bar Offside features an Islanders-inspired logo and opened on Avenue A last week.
Owner Nick Costa, a diehard Islanders fan, relocated the bar from its East 14th Street location following a pandemic shutdown.
He’s ready to welcome back fans for a tough series against the Hurricanes Monday.
Regardless of which team a New Yorker may be rooting for, the rare feat will resonate through every borough in a city where multiple sports teams can exist.
“That’s what this is all about,” Politi said. “You want to be able to go back to the office – for those of us who are still in an office – and rub it in their faces when your team wins or loses. That’s part of what makes these rivalries great – you don’t get that in Kansas City or Detroit.”
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David Brand
David is a reporter covering housing for Gothamist and WNYC. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 908-310-3960.
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Giulia Heyward
Giulia Heyward is a breaking news reporter on the Day-Of desk. She previously worked at NPR, as a breaking news reporter, and the New York Times, as a reporting fellow on the national desk. Her work has also appeared in CNN, The Atlantic and Politico. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or more securely on signal at 917-715-1458.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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