When I was nine years old I was (un)fortunate enough to see the San Antonio Spurs beat my beloved New York Knicks in the NBA Finals. It was June 25^th — the latest day that the finals have ever been played on — and the day before I had to leave for sleep away camp.

The Garden (yes, MSG, not the Boston Garden) gave out orange t-shirts that said “We Still Believe.” Down 3-1 as the only number eight seed to ever make the finals, and playing without our supposed “best” player (Patrick Ewing).

The Knicks fell to a far superior Spurs team. Avery Johnson —the new coach of the New Jersey Nets— hit the game-winner with under a minute to go.

The Ewing-less Knicks WAS NOT the beginning of Bill Simmons’ Ewing Theory, but it is referred to as the top example.

But what did this finals loss really lead to? How about the eventual signing of Allan Houston to a max contract so he could get hurt and make his money on the bench?  So we could continue to pay him while he was forced to retire. Which then led to the domino effect of over-paid coaches and players alike, resulting in the worse decade of basketball the city has ever seen.

Many fans and experts look at the 1999 season with an asterisk. Due to the labor dispute that led to an owner’s lockout (which may happen after next season), teams only played 50 regular season games.

But the season wasn’t a fluke to us. It was the last time that the greatest basketball city in the world had hope. The last time we believed. The last time we had a shot to be the best.

The Knicks haven’t won an NBA championship since 1972, and they’ve fallen in the finals now twice since.

I don’t think I still have the shirt that I got at the 1999 Finals, but I know that I wore it to sleep that entire summer, and for many years after that. That shirt and I went through thick and thin together. Through Isiah, Marbury, Steve Francis, Lenny Wilkens, Allan Houston, Renaldo Balkman, and the rest of those teams that can’t be described on paper.

Now, hope appears to be on the horizon again. If you squint just enough, you can see the glimmer of optimism that is being instilled in every Knick fan.

LeBron James just might be coming to New York.

This summer presents the biggest and most influential off-season since the start of free agency in sports. Rumors have flown around about VIP summits, super-teams, teams’ plans, teams’ backup plans, teams’ backup to the backup plans, and other stuff that never used to be talked about.

Team’s like Chicago and the Clippers are making their cases. And even the Cavaliers appear to still be in the mix.

But doesn’t New York just seem like a really good option?

Danilo Gallinari (21) and Wilson Chandler (23) are young pieces that will fit perfectly with the King. Gallinari proved in just his second season (and really his first because he sat almost his entire rookie year) that he can be a dead-eye shooter at 6-10. And Chandler is quietly developing one of the best mid-range jump shots in the game, to add to his fantastic athleticism and strength on both sides of the ball.

James can bring one of his best buddies, Chris Bosh, to play center in the Mike D’Antoni offense, and maybe even get something positive in a trade out of Eddy Curry’s expiring contract before the season starts.

Let’s not forget he’ll be playing in the city where he will make the most money, receive the most attention, gain the most national and international fame, and potentially become known as an icon to the city itself. Not to mention play under one of the greatest offensive-minded coaches (the type of coach LeBron needs in order to showcase his skill set) in NBA history.

The pieces are set. The plan is in place.

Now it’s up to the fans.

Time to start believing again, New York.