It’s going to be a lot of fun ‘hate-watching’ the Knicks in the NBA Finals, and other thoughts

Picked-up pieces while thinking there should be a racehorse named “Tartabull’s Throw” . . .

⋅ The historically much-harpooned New York Knicks are in the NBA Finals, which might make some of you envious.

Fear not. It’s going to be a fun fortnight of hate-watching.

Even though the Celtics (a higher seed than the Knicks) bowed out of the NBA playoffs four weeks ago, there’s plenty of incentive to follow the Knicks as they attempt to win their first NBA championship since Richard Nixon was president.

Mocking the Knicks has been a local sports tradition for most of the eight decades of NBA history.

Your Celtics and the New York Knickerbockers were two of the original 11 franchises (along with the Washington Capitols, coached by 29-year-old Red Auerbach) when the Basketball Association of America was formed in 1946. The league became the NBA in 1949.

Haughty New Yorkers identify Madison Square Garden as “the mecca” of pro basketball, but it’s hardly been a palace of NBA kings. The Knicks have won two championships since 1946; an average of one every 40 years — roughly the same frequency as a visible supernova explosion in the Milky Way Galaxy. Meanwhile, the Celtics have 18 championship banners hanging from the TD Garden ceiling.

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It’s been 53 years since the Knicks won their last title, when Celtics superstar John Havlicek injured his right shoulder in Game 3 of their 1973 conference final. Led by league MVP Dave Cowens, the 1972-73 Celtics went 68-14 (best in franchise history) and were set to advance before Hondo went down. With Havlicek missing one full game and playing essentially with one arm in the final three, Boston was beaten in Game 7 at home (a first) by the Walt Frazier-Dave DeBusschere-Willis Reed-Bill Bradley Knicks. It was New York’s second title in four seasons, and Celtics patriarch Auerbach spent the rest of his days bristling at any suggestion that those two-title Knicks belonged in any conversation with his Bill Russell Celtics.

The Jalen Brunson/Karl-Anthony Towns Knicks of 2026 will take a 53-year drought into Wednesday’s Game 1 at Oklahoma City or San Antonio. It’s their first Finals appearance of this century.

We know a thing or two about championship droughts in our town. The Red Sox went from 1918-2004 without winning a World Series, and the Bruins went from 1972-2011 between Stanley Cup titles.

The Knicks are on a heater. They’ve won 11 straight playoff games by an average of 24 points. No NBA team has ever built a 262-point differential in an 11-game stretch — playoffs or regular season.

New York is led by Brunson, whose father, Rick Brunson, grew up in Salem and famously played for John Chaney’s Temple teams when Chaney threatened to “kill” UMass coach John Calipari. When the Knicks clinched this past Monday in Cleveland, Jalen Brunson won the Larry Bird Trophy as Eastern Conference finals MVP, and the Knicks were presented with the Bob Cousy Trophy as conference champs (even in victory, the Knicks can’t dodge Boston’s basketball traditions).

Need I remind you that one of the greatest players in Knicks history is Patrick Ewing, who played his high school ball for Cambridge Rindge and Latin? Or that New York’s annoying super fan is Spike Lee, whose latest film (“Highest 2 Lowest”) was described by The Ringers as a “Movie Monument to Hating Boston Sports.”

Brace yourself for a lot of Spike TV sideline shots in these Finals. And Mars Blackmon might have some famous front-row company at MSG if Knicks owner James Dolan cajoles friend President Trump to attend a Finals game. Thursday’s New York Times reported that Trump is considering making an appearance.

It’s not a stretch to assume that the needy Knicks can also claim support from the Holy See. Pope Leo (Villanova, 1977) has got to be pulling for any team with a trio of Wildcats — Brunson, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart.

Bring your popcorn. This is going to be good.

⋅ Quiz: 1: Twenty-eight big leaguers have hit 500 or more home runs. Name five members of that club with two or more batting titles (hint: two played for the Red Sox); 2. Name five MLB teams that moved to new cities in the 1950s (answers below).

⋅ Last week’s column focusing on our local sports “shorthand” drew responses from readers suggesting other short-form words, expressions, or quotes that trigger indelible local sports memories. Readers delivered personal favorites that fall into this category, including, 13,909, McFilthy and McNasty, “Beat LA!”, Dr. Mudge, “a ballpark by the ocean,” the Eliot Lounge, Stan Papi, curly-haired boyfriend, and “Who is the only person to play for the Red Sox, Bruins, Celtics, and Patriots?” (organist John Kiley, of course).

⋅ Regarding the same column, about a thousand of you took time to remind me that it was Elston Howard’s catch-and-tag that made Jose Tartabull’s throw so impactful back in August 1967. All true. But the play can’t be remembered as “Howard’s catch-and-tag” now, can it? It’s kind of like trying to reframe “Buckner’s error” as “Mookie’s three-hopper” or “Steamer slow getting over to cover.” Just doesn’t have the same ring, does it? Clunky. And so we are stuck with “Tartabull’s throw” and “Buckner’s error.”

⋅ Isiah Kiner-Falefa has 37 homers in his nine big league seasons and hit two in 153 games (including playoffs) last season. So what are we to think when he poses at home plate (instead of running out of the box) when he hits a long fly ball to Fenway’s left field in a critical moment of last Sunday’s loss to the Twins? The ball ended up being a Wall double. Maybe these last-place Sox should think about winning games instead of the thrill or wearing the Wally head in the dugout.

⋅ When do Fenway’s Fired Seven start spilling?

⋅ Rafael Devers has been really bad for the Giants this year, but as of midweek he was hitting .246 with seven homers and 28 RBIs — which would make him a middle-of-the-order slugger in the Red Sox’ lineup.

⋅ Only the Dodgers and Yankees have more wins than the Rays since 2008.

⋅ Jaylen Brown simply can’t stop. Here’s what he said on his Twitch channel when he failed to make the All-NBA first team: “I’m going to be honest, I’m not surprised. I’m not the most liked player in the media. At times, I’m not the most liked by the fans. So, I’m not surprised. Some of the things I say and do is a little controversial, so I’m surprised that I win any awards at all at times . . . ” The first team consisted of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, Victor Wembanyama, Nikola Jokic, and Cade Cunningham.

⋅ James Harden ran the Cavaliers into a ditch in their four-game sweep at the hands of the Knicks. The Beard/Cooler finished with 12 points on 2-of-8 shooting with five turnovers in the 130-93, Game 4 clincher. For the series, Harden was minus-55 with 17 turnovers. After it ended, he said, “Genuinely, I do feel like we’re the better team.”

⋅ The Knicks are the fourth consecutive Eastern Conference champion to have advanced to the NBA Finals one year after losing the conference championship.

⋅ Canada has not produced a Stanley Cup champion since the Canadiens in 1993. This year’s Habs are the last Canadian team standing, and go into Friday night’s game at Carolina on the verge of elimination.

⋅ Maniacal Vegas Golden Knights coach John Tortorella is in the Concord-Carlisle High School sports Hall of Fame for baseball (shortstop) and basketball. Torts played hockey at the University of Maine after graduation from C-C in 1976.

⋅ Now that the NCAA has 76 teams in its men’s basketball tournament, let’s revisit a time when the 1973-74 Maryland Terrapins didn’t make it to the tourney because only one school per conference was allowed in the 25-team draw. Lefty Driesell’s Terps featured five Parade All-Americans and seven players who would be drafted by NBA teams, including No. 1 overall pick John Lucas and future NBA stalwarts Len Elmore and Tom McMillen. Maryland lost its season opener to two-time defending NCAA champion UCLA by a single point. That UCLA team featured Bill Walton, Keith Wilkes, Marques Johnson and Richard Washington, and was in the midst of an 88-game win streak. The Terps finished 23-5, losing the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament tourney final, 103-100, in overtime to eventual national champion N.C. State (David Thompson). They were a good argument for expanding the tournament, unlike this year’s Auburn team that lost 16 games and cried about being “snubbed” from March Madness.

⋅ Sixty-five years of watching youth sports have taught me one critical lesson: Never volunteer to umpire/referee/officiate when a game is delayed because an official is late. You can’t win. Someone will hate you before the day is done. Watching a well-run Little League Memorial Day weekend tourney in Woburn last weekend, I cringed when the Globe’s Ben Volin raised his hand for duty when the umpire was late. Brave Ben got through a couple of innings without incident, which is tougher than staring down Bill Belichick, I’d say.

⋅ Filmmaker Ron Shelton (”Bull Durham,” “White Men Can’t Jump,” “Blue Chips,” “Cobb”) was in town last weekend, attending the Red Sox game Friday and speaking at the Larry Lucchino Writers Series at Polar Park Saturday. Shelton and screenwriter John Norville had a hit with “Tin Cup” in 1996, and have teamed up on a script about Ted Williams’s fly-fishing life. Michael Keaton and Stephen Graham are on board with the developing project.

⋅ Former Mets world champion and broadcasting legend Ron Darling (Millbury, Yale) will be the next featured speaker at Polar Park June 6 at 1 p.m. A ticket to the 4:05 p.m. WooSox game gets you into to the event.

⋅ The BABC is hosting the 54th annual Boston Shootout Saturday and Sunday at Catholic Memorial in West Roxbury.

⋅ Bank of America and Youth on Course are teaming up for a second straight year to offer free golf memberships to youngsters age 6-18 at any of 40 participating courses across Massachusetts. The deadline to sign up is June 15 at BofA.com/GolfwithUs.

⋅ RIP Mike McHugh, Globe electrician for 28 years, photographer, big Boston sports fan, and devoted husband, father, uncle and brother. He was a wonderful, generous friend who told great stories and lit up a room with his smile.

⋅ Quiz answers: 1. Jimmie Foxx (1933, ’38), Ted Williams (1941, ’42, ’47, ’48, ’57, ’58), Hank Aaron (1956, ’59), Barry Bonds (2002, ’04), Miguel Cabrera (2011, ’12, ’13, ’15). 2. Boston Braves moved to Milwaukee in 1953; St. Louis Browns moved to Baltimore in ’54; Philadelphia Athletics moved to Kansas City in ’55; Brooklyn Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in ’58; New York Giants moved to San Francisco in ’58.