Napa Valley California
53 years.
1973 was the last time the New York Knicks won an NBA Title.
Tonight my favorite team since 1981 won its first NBA championship in over a half century.
I thought I’d look like the featured image above before the Knicks won an NBA title. I’m not kidding; I did not expect this team to win a championship in my lifetime because the Knickerbockers were so bad for such vast stretches. Everything fell apart for them consistently in almost comical fashion. Boneheaded decisions by upper management. Player injuries at the worst time. Going through coaches like toilet paper at a raisin bran convention. No team chemistry. High level free agents laughing at and looking past the franchise. The list went on and on.
But here we are.
I almost had to pinch myself. The Knicks were perennial losers for almost a quarter century. Being in the cellar of the NBA made it tough to follow the team closely. But I was always loyal through thick and thin.
Minus some minor celebrating here – including yelling, “Let’s go Knicks!” as I walked through Napa Valley this evening – I want bloggers to learn a few lessons from this magical championship run.
1: Never Quit
The Knicks were a middle of the road team when I became a fan in the early 80’s.
Madison Square Garden was a little bit empty those days whenever the team took the court.
The team improved later that decade and became one of the best squads in the NBA by the mid-90’s but after two failed title runs they soon became one of the worst teams in the NBA once again.
Rock bottom hit in 2014-2015. The team suffered through an embarrassing 17-65 record.
During that stretch the Knicks simply couldn’t catch a break but the franchise kept trying to find the right recipe.
Everything came together over the last few years. Ownership found the right decision makers who created a dazzling team which finally translated to a championship squad.
Never quit on your blog no matter how bleak things look.
I personally know how long it takes for some of us to experience even a little bit of success. Nothing ever came easy for me through my blog.
Persist. Learn. Try to correct your struggles as quickly as possible by following guidance from experienced professional bloggers.
Your time will come as long as you keep trying to crack the code by following a simple system through thick and thin.
2: Surround Yourself with a Winning Team
The Knicks drafted poorly for a number of years.
The franchise then made the glaring mistake of trading draft picks for aging veteran players to try to bring star power to New York City.
The Knicks tried to trade for the best player versus fitting together puzzle pieces for a winning team.
The moment they committed to trading for a real winning team things improved quickly.
Surround yourself with only highly successful bloggers.
Learn from the best.
Follow their guidance.
Put their advice into action.
Find inspiration through osmosis.
Up your blogging game by observing the strengths of these professionals in action.
3: Think Beyond this Year
If there is one important lesson learned from the champion New York Knicks to apply to your blog it is this one.
The team was borderline awful most of a quarter of a century because management thought for today. Nobody thought beyond the next year or two in terms of having an actual vision.
The organization wanted to make money now by getting rear ends in the seats. What was the quickest way to do that? Trade for well-known players who had some talent. Nobody really thought about creating a team that would actually win and require patience, persistence and a willingness to spend at least two or three years watching everything come together.
The New York Knicks finally thought beyond a year or two back in 2022. New, shrewd, forward thinking management signed a star player who was just coming into his own. The same wise individuals continue to fill the puzzle pieces around this player.
Four years passed until the Knicks became world champions.
Blogging takes a very long time for everything to come together. All of your intelligent, patient work needs to age into an asset offering you freedom from time and location.
Going pro is at least a 3 to 5 year game plan if not a bit longer. Why is that? Publishing a heavy volume of detailed, targeted content on site and off site consumes years of your life. There’s no way around this.
Be a visionary. Set long-term goals to remain disciplined. Stick to the basics especially when no one appears to read your blog. Look beyond today towards next year or even a few years down the road to remain calm, confident and focused on doing the proper work to eventually go full time.
4: Have Fun to Remove Pressure
The Knicks experienced a magical playoff run in part because the team had fun. Minus a short stretch at the beginning of the playoffs, players performed as if they had nothing to lose. No pressure.
The team proceeded to sweep two series against high quality teams and almost swept the NBA finals against a formidable opponent. Meanwhile, the team they faced in the finals felt the pressure and certainly didn’t look to have as much fun.
Successful bloggers love the process. Future professionals have fun in order to take pressure off themselves.
If you plan on doing this for years you better have fun or else you will quit pronto.
High quality content never originates from a pressured mind.
Relax. Kick back. Become prolific over the long term by enjoying the blogging process.
5: Loyal Fans Will Carry You
The New York Knicks have perhaps the most hated fan base in the NBA in part because they are far and away the most loyal fans in professional basketball.
Most professional sports fans jump ship from losing franchises within a few years if not after a decade or so. The majority become front runners who hop on the bandwagon of winning programs.
Every New York Knicks fan I’ve come across has followed the team closely through their nightmarish years of being just about the worst organization in the National Basketball Association.
During both difficult and the recent prospering times, most players deeply appreciate this loyalty. Everyone appreciates support during tough times. In the same breath though, these specific fans will criticize players with boos if the team doesn’t put forth an honest effort.
The fan base helped the team on their wild championship run as is the case with most title winners. Players pick up on the collective energy of enthusiastic fans.
During lean blogging times, building a loyal community is paramount because these individuals inspire you to keep going with their loving support. Genuine followers offer authentic feedback pointing you in the right direction rather than just telling you what you want to hear.
Capitalizing on both aspects of growing your blogging tribe positions you to go pro.
Time to Celebrate
That’s it for tonight guys.
I may have to crack open a bottle here in wine country.
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