Knicks fans hoping to be in San Antonio for what could be a championship-clinching Game 5 on Saturday night found themselves battling travel chaos Friday after severe storms canceled flights across the New York area.
With New York holding a commanding 3-1 lead over the Spurs following its stunning Game 4 comeback at Madison Square Garden, many fans in orange and blue were preparing to head south for the NBA Finals. But a powerful thunderstorm sweeping through the tristate region upended those plans and left would-be travelers searching for any route that could get them to Texas in time.
Among them was Brooklyn resident Toby Hyde, who had been scheduled to leave JFK Airport at 5:33 p.m. on a flight to San Antonio with a layover in Dallas. When that flight was grounded, Hyde was forced into a last-minute scramble to piece together another itinerary.
“If the Knicks can come back from 29 down, an American can figure out how to get into Texas,” said Hyde, 44, referring to New York’s dramatic rally in Game 4.
Wearing a Marcus Camby jersey, Hyde said he was determined to make it one way or another. “It’s a big state, I’ll be able to fly somewhere,” he said. “I’ll probably be driving from somewhere, hopefully through Austin, but I’m willing to do Houston if it will get me there in time.”
By late Friday, he had managed to line up a new plan: a flight to Miami scheduled to leave that night, followed by a connection to Dallas in the morning and, if all went well, a final hop into San Antonio by early afternoon.
Another crew of Knicks supporters were set to fly from LaGuardia Airport to Dallas before their plans were rejected like a Mitchell Robinson block.
Now, five fans who bonded over the travel heartbreak were boarding a plane to Miami, which will connect to Austin before they drive the 80 miles to San Antonio.
“Now you see what Knicks fans endure,” one of the newly united fans, Eric Kwiatkowski, 40, told the Post.
Kwiatkowski’s friend, Ramy Fakhr, 44, will only have the clothes on his back after he checked his luggage for the canceled plane.
He didn’t have time to retrieve the suitcase before hurrying to the new flight.
“Now I have to spend the whole weekend without any clothes. This is all I’m wearing. Well, I’m gonna borrow some of Eric’s clothes,” said Fakhr.
But a chuckling Kwiatkowski cut in, “He’s not getting any of my clothes.”
Queens resident Joe P. and his pal also saw their travel plans run afoul after they were planning to fly into Dallas, then take a plane to Austin before driving the rest of the way.
The two friends bought tickets Thursday, but were still trying to figure out new travel arrangements.
“I have not been able to afford any of the tickets for the NBA finals in the Garden, because I think, it’s $10,000, $12,000 for nosebleeds now, so that’s a little bit out of my budget,” Joe said.
“It’s cheaper to go to San Antonio, and fly back then to go to the game in NY.”
The Jalen Brunson-led Knickerbockers could clinch the team’s first championship in more than 50 years as they take on the most hated man – or alien – in New York, Victor Wembanyama, and the Spurs.
