Fans Vs. Players - A Lesson from the Knicks

For many New Yorkers, even those who are not avid sports fans, it has been impossible to miss the excitement surrounding the New York Knicks' remarkable comeback in Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals this week. Facing a seemingly insurmountable 29-point deficit against the San Antonio Spurs, the Knicks battled back to win 107-106 on a tip-in with just 1.2 seconds remaining, completing the largest comeback in NBA Finals history.

The Baal Shem Tov, founder of the Chassidic movement, taught that a person should learn something from everything he or she sees and hears. If so, there is certainly a lesson to be learned from this extraordinary game.

On paper, the contest was over. The momentum belonged to the Spurs. The crowd was against them. The odds were overwhelming.

And yet the Knicks kept playing.

Not through one miraculous shot, but through relentless effort. Basket by basket. Possession by possession. They focused on the next play, then the next one after that. Eventually, with 1.2 seconds remaining, a final tip-in completed one of the greatest comebacks in Finals history.

This week's Torah portion, Shlach, tells the story of the moment when the Jewish people faced what appeared to be impossible odds.

Less than a year after receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai, the Jewish people stood at the threshold of entering the Land of Israel. At their request, Moses sent twelve distinguished leaders—one from each tribe—to scout the land and report back.

As Rashi explains, G-d's response was telling: "Shlach lecha"—"Send for yourself." G-d was not commanding that spies be sent; He was granting permission. G-d wanted the people to see the land's greatness firsthand, to become enthused and take initiative. He was inviting them to be players, not spectators. Their mission was not to determine whether the land could be conquered, but rather how it should be conquered.

The scouts returned with conflicting reports.

All twelve agreed that the land was exceptionally beautiful and fertile. Yet ten of them focused on the obstacles. The inhabitants were powerful. The cities were fortified. The challenges appeared overwhelming.

"We were like grasshoppers in our own eyes," they reported, "and so we were in their eyes."

The people became frightened and lost confidence in their mission. As a result, G-d decreed that they would remain in the desert for another forty years until a new generation would be prepared to enter the land.

The scouts were not ordinary individuals. They were spiritual giants who had witnessed the miracles of Egypt, the splitting of the sea, and the revelation at Sinai. How could they have made such a mistake?

Kabbalah explains that the scouts feared something deeper than military defeat.

In the desert, life was sustained openly by miracles. The manna fell from heaven. Water flowed from a rock. Divine protection was visible everywhere. Entering the Land of Israel meant entering the natural world—a world of farming, business, politics, and physical labor.

The scouts feared that spirituality could flourish in the desert but would be overwhelmed in the real world. Materialism, they reasoned, was simply too powerful.

In modern terms, they looked at the scoreboard, saw a 29-point deficit, and concluded that the game was unwinnable.

The Torah's response is clear: they were wrong.

Lesson One: Fans vs. Players

When things are going well, everyone is a fan. The arena is packed. The excitement is contagious. Supporting the team costs nothing.

But when the deficit reaches 29 points, many fans lose faith. Some leave early. Others stop paying attention altogether.

Players do not have that luxury. Players stay on the court. They focus on the next possession. They continue executing the game plan regardless of what the scoreboard says.

The same distinction exists in our spiritual lives.

It is easy to engage in Judaism when it is fun, convenient, or comfortable. The real test is whether we remain committed when challenges arise, when the culture around us moves in a different direction, or when our efforts seem insignificant.

The ten spies became spectators. They looked at the obstacles and concluded that the mission could not be accomplished.

Yehoshua and Calev remained players. Looking at the exact same circumstances, they declared:

"We shall surely ascend and take possession of it, for we can surely do it."

The question each of us must ask is simple: Are we fans of the mission, or are we players in it?

Lesson Two: Every Point Counts

The Knicks did not erase a 29-point deficit with one spectacular play. They erased it one point at a time. Every basket mattered. Every defensive stop mattered. Every possession mattered.

And in the end, the game was decided by a single point.

Judaism teaches a similar perspective.

Maimonides writes that every person should view the world as perfectly balanced between merit and deficiency. A single mitzvah can tip the scales and bring redemption to an individual and to the entire world.

One act of charity. One Shabbat candle. One pair of tefillin. One moment of Torah study. One act of kindness.

Often we look at the state of the world and wonder whether our actions truly matter. The lesson of the comeback is that dramatic transformations are usually the result of countless small actions accumulated over time.

Never underestimate the power of the next point. The significance of one moment. The next mitzvah may be the one that changes everything.

Lesson Three: Teamwork Across Generations

The game-winning tip-in did not happen in isolation.

One player took the shot. Another player was positioned to finish the play. The basket belonged to both of them.

Our sages teach that our generation stands on the shoulders of all those who came before us. Every generation has contributed to the mission of refining the world and bringing it closer to Redemption.

The Patriarchs. The Prophets. The Sages. The countless Jews who preserved Judaism through exile, persecution, and hardship. They carried the ball down the court.

We have been given the privilege of finishing the play.

Every mitzvah we perform today carries the accumulated spiritual momentum of thousands of years of Jewish history.

The Final Score

The spies were sent to determine how to enter the land, not whether entering it was possible. The moment they replaced strategy with doubt, they abandoned their mission.

Judaism teaches that we should never retreat from the world and remain in a spiritual desert. The purpose of Torah and mitzvot is to transform the physical world itself into a dwelling place for G-d.

The Talmud teaches that the entire world was created for Moshiach—for the era of ultimate peace, prosperity, purpose, and Divine revelation that is the goal of creation.

Every generation has played its role in bringing that future closer. Ours is the generation standing beneath the basket. The ball is already in the air. We are in the last few seconds of the game!

Play your point. Do your mitzvah. Remain a player on the court. Together, we will bring Moshiach now!