January 14, 2011 – Kevin Burke

Even though the Knicks have been the punchline of countless jokes over the past decade, one thing that you cannot question is the passion of New York when it comes to sports. If I had to pick one sport, I’d say that New York is a baseball city (although all sports are big in New York), but even so, you’ll see plenty of empty seats at Citi Field occasionally when the Mets host games. However, although the Knicks haven’t made the playoffs in forever, The Garden is usually packed which goes to show that basketball is very relevant in the Big Apple regardless of the number in the W column.

When Amar’e Stoudemire signed with the Knicks, it injected new life in the city, even though the beloved David Lee was the casualty. Then came Raymond Felton and suddenly, people felt as if the Knicks would do something special this year. So far, that has been the case. The Knicks are off to their best start in a decade and Amar’e Stoudemire is an MVP candidate.

On the All-Star ballot for the Knicks are Amar’e, Raymond Felton and Danilo Gallinari(for some strange reason, instead of Wilson Chandler…but I digress). Gallo has no shot, Felton should definitely get the nod, and Amar’e has just surpassed Kevin Garnett for a starting position in the lineup. Voting is still open for about another week, and the Knicks haven’t had a player start an All-Star game since Pat Ewing back in 1992.

The organization has been so excited about the prospect of a Knick starting, that they launched a site dedicated to getting their players to the All-Star game. Peep this video from that site, by DJ Steve Porter, featuring some fans and celebs lobbying for Knicks to be All-Stars. If you never understood the power of a major market, this should clarify things: