NEW YORK (AFP) — As New York prepares to host the World Cup, the city is instead awash in Knicks blue and orange, reflecting a deep love for the gritty, unifying team chasing a historic National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals victory.

The Knicks took a commanding 2-0 lead on Friday in the best of seven series against the San Antonio Spurs, and now the action shifts to the Big Apple for Games 3 and 4.

“The Knicks, this is New York at its very best right now,” said John Patrick Walsh, 65, who comes from a family of fans.

“Everybody’s a Knicks fan. It’s a huge family, it’s all love,” Walsh, a voice actor, told AFP near Madison Square Garden, the home of the Knicks. 

The streets around the Manhattan venue have become a rallying point for thousands of fans to cheer on their team, as celebrity superfans including Spike Lee, Timothee Chalamet and Ben Stiller applaud courtside.