The New York Knicks are almost in dreamland. With a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals, the franchise is now within touching distance of its first NBA Finals appearance since 1999. Add WNBA legend and childhood Knicks fan Sue Bird’s take on the current state of the franchise, and the community has even more reason to believe this year could be special. 

Superstar Jimmy Fallon, on The Tonight Show, asked Bird about the chances of the Knicks advancing from the Cavaliers series, and she replied, “I think they are pretty good… I like it, and I think they got that rust off, right? The whole rest versus rust. They had a ton of days off. The Cavs were in game 7.”

The Knicks are much better rested. Before the ECF began on May 19, their last game was on May 10, the night they swept the Philadelphia 76ers.

On the other hand, the Cavaliers’ semifinal series against the Detroit Pistons went to Game 7, which took place on May 17. In fact, they entered that series right after another seven-game battle against the Toronto Raptors. To go through all of that and then have just one day off before facing the Knicks was always going to be tricky.

In Game 2 on Thursday, the Knicks clinched a 16-point win, riding high on Jalen Brunson’s double-double (19 points and 14 assists) and Josh Hart’s 26 points. Meanwhile, the Cavs are underfiring, with James Harden, who got traded to Cleveland in February, particularly struggling. The legendary guard scored just 15 points in game 1 and 18 in game 2. 

Bird will be feeling good about the situation the Knicks are in now. Born and raised in New York, she became an avid Knicks fan and remained a supporter even while building her legendary career across the country with the Seattle Storm. Her love for the Knicks was evident even in her final regular-season game in Syosset, where Bird signed off with the viral Knicks chant that became popular during the 2021-22 season.

“I do have one last thing to say. I don’t think the Brooklyn fans are going to like it — bing bong,” she said.

Bird isn’t the only high-profile New York fan predicting a trip to the Finals. Stephen A. Smith said the same well before the playoffs, and even before the season began. He did not, of course, predict them beating a Western Conference superteam to win the whole thing, but he was confident they would clear the hurdle that the Indiana Pacers proved to be last season.

“I don’t think you’re gonna see them win the championship. But are you ready for this? I think the Knicks are going to the finals,” Smith had said in September on his show. 

The Knicks had a fairly smooth regular-season campaign, finishing third behind the Detroit Pistons and the Boston Celtics with a 53-29 record. After beating the No. 1-seeded Atlanta Hawks in six games, they swept the 76ers 4-0 to set up a date with Cleveland, where it is advantage New York right now. They are set to travel to Cleveland for Game 3 on Saturday.

Sue Bird will be watching on from the Big Apple, presumably cheering for her childhood team as she embarks on an exciting new project in the city itself.

Sue Bird To Feature In New York Liberty Games for On-Site Coverage

Ahead of the WNBA season tipoff on May 8, Bird made a major move to join NBC as a sports analyst.

“I’ve been circling broadcasting for a long time now,” she said to the Associated Press. “Given NBC’s history and legacy and where the WNBA is now, I am excited to be part of it. It needed to be the right fit, the right people, the right network.”

A four-time champion and the league’s all-time assists leader, the WNBA wouldn’t find many stronger names to talk about and analyze the sport. Now, it’s been revealed that she will be on site for the New York Liberty’s upcoming two games against the Dallas Wings and Portland Fire. 

“So, I’m part of the studio show, which is amazing,” Bird said to Fallon on The Tonight Show. “Maria Taylor, LaChina Robinson, and great Cheryl Miller. And we’re going on-site for the two Liberty games that are on Sunday and Monday. We’ll be on site. I’m super psyched for it.”

The Liberty will face the Wings on Sunday. And then they will follow it up with a game against the Fire the next day. Both these games are quite crucial for the Liberty, given that they are coming off a loss against the Golden State Valkyries and are currently ranked 5th overall.