ADDICTED TO THE KNICKS - EMERGENCY KNICKS PODCAST WITH KEVIN MCENROEADDICTED TO THE KNICKS - EMERGENCY KNICKS PODCAST WITH KEVIN MCENROE
Dopey: On the Dark Comedy of Drug Addiction
Timestamp Notes 00:00 Dave introduces the emergency Knicks episode with Kevin McEnroe and pitches the idea of Addicted to the Knicks / KA. 01:15 Kevin talks about being “hooked on the Knicks” before drugs and how Knicks fandom became one of the first things he truly lived and died by. 02:16 Kevin connects Knicks fandom to sobriety — rituals, obsession, hope, and learning to embrace that part of himself again. 03:00 Dave talks about the Dopey audience slowly becoming Knicks fans through his insanity. 03:25 Kevin describes NYC buzzing with Knicks energy — orange and blue, subway nods, camaraderie, “Let’s go Knicks.” 03:55 Dave connects the Knicks Finals to his own timeline: 27 years ago he was on heroin, now he’s 52 and sober. 04:25 Kevin talks about losing the ability to care during addiction and getting that childhood sports purity back in recovery. 04:50 Kevin tells his first Knicks memory: going to a game with his dad and brother in 1995. 06:00 Kevin recalls leaving early with his dad and hearing Reggie Miller score eight points in nine seconds from a cab. 07:15 Dave and Kevin talk Knicks superstition, merch rituals, and not wanting to jinx the team. 08:30 Dave remembers becoming a Knicks fan during the Pitino / Bomb Squad era with Trent Tucker, Mark Jackson, Gerald Wilkins, and Johnny Newman. 10:00 Kevin compares Knicks fandom to church, hope, fate, and something bigger than himself. 11:24 Dave tells the story of sneaking into Madison Square Garden during a Knicks/Bulls playoff game. 13:00 Dave tries multiple failed schemes to get into the Garden before finding an open door into the Paramount Theater. 14:20 A “greasy stoner kid” helps Dave and his friend sneak through the kitchen into MSG. 16:09 Dave says the Knicks didn’t win, but the experience became Knicks lore and a defining memory. 16:45 Kevin talks about missing the 1999 Knicks run because he was too strung out and disconnected. 17:45 Kevin says getting sober helped him care again — about the Knicks, family, writing, and life. 18:30 Kevin explains the Knicks watch party at MSG for the away Finals game in San Antonio. 19:15 Dave and Kevin talk about Knicks fans gathering like church, and how the team creates New York community. 20:05 Kevin reflects on the bad Knicks years, loving David Lee, Nate Robinson, Knicks Tape, Melo, JR Smith, Tyson Chandler, and Steve Novak. 21:00 Dave and Kevin talk about recovery giving people back “interest” — the ability to actually care about something. 22:00 Kevin explains how drugs stripped away interest, relationships, and the ability to care beyond getting well. 23:00 Kevin talks about becoming a raw version of yourself again in sobriety, like being twelve years old and loving the Knicks. 23:30 Kevin remembers Anthony Mason as his Knicks hero — tough, unafraid, New York carved into his head. 25:15 Dave talks about getting furious at NBA analysts picking San Antonio and how his daughter tells him to lower expectations. 26:00 Kevin says he likes when people pick against the Knicks because it gives them the underdog energy. 27:20 Dave decides this will go out as the full emergency Knicks episode. 28:00 Kevin previews Game 1 and says he believes the Knicks can win, maybe Knicks in six. 29:00 Dave and Kevin talk about Brunson, Wembanyama, KAT pulling Wemby out, and Mitchell Robinson concerns. 30:00 Dave worries about Mitchell Robinson and says he should be in a hyperbaric chamber. 31:20 Kevin talks about the Knicks team chemistry and how different this team feels from old Knicks teams built around one star. 32:00 Dave and Kevin talk Brunson, Mike Brown, trusting teammates, and the Knicks unlocking something special. 33:30 Kevin admits he was wrong about firing Tibbs and wrong about Karl-Anthony Towns. 35:00 Dave talks about Knicks fans at Katz’s, including people who abandoned the team for the Nets. 36:00 Dave says fans can come back, while Kevin says the people who never bailed get to feel something extra. 37:00 Dave says this moment feels as sweet as he always imagined. 38:00 Kevin talks about being in a daze, trying to stay in the moment, and embracing the joy of the Knicks making the Finals. 39:30 Dave and Kevin agree: if the Knicks lose, it will hurt — but if they win, they don’t know how they’ll deal with it. 40:00 Kevin plugs Serenity Side Down on Substack. 40:30 Dave invites non-Knicks fans onto the bandwagon and closes with Kevin: stay strong Dopey Nation and toodles for Chris.
44:47•3 Jun 2026
Hooked on the Knicks Before Drugs: Obsession, Sobriety and Hoops
Episode Overview
- Sports obsession can mirror addictive patterns, with rituals, superstition and emotional swings that feel similar to substance use.
- Sobriety can reconnect people with their younger selves and revive passions they lost during active addiction.
- Community spaces, whether AA meetings or a buzzing arena, can feel like a kind of church, offering shared belief and belonging.
- Healthy interests in recovery, such as following a team or creative work, help replace the emptiness that drugs once filled.
- Accepting past mistakes and being willing to admit, "I was 100% wrong", becomes part of growth in both life and fandom.
“"I was hooked on the Knicks before I was hooked on drugs."”
Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? This high-energy chat between Dave and writer Kevin McEnroe shows how an obsession with the New York Knicks can look a lot like addiction – and how it can actually help in recovery. Kevin jokes that he was "hooked on the Knicks before I was hooked on drugs", and talks about Knicks fandom as the first thing he "lived and died by".
As a kid, wins made him euphoric, losses ruined his day, and the games were one of the few things he did alone with his dad. That emotional bond, along with rituals, posters on the wall and game-day routines, later echoed the compulsive patterns of substance use. Sobriety, though, has let him reclaim that part of himself.
He explains that getting clean meant "you get to be almost like this raw version of yourself again" – the 12-year-old who loved the team without shame. Dave connects this with his own journey: 27 years ago he was "on heroin" during the Knicks finals; now, at 52 and sober, he calls it a "time of destiny".
The conversation is packed with nostalgic Knicks stories – sneaking into Madison Square Garden, legendary collapses, cult heroes like Anthony Mason – but keeps circling back to recovery. They talk about fandom as a kind of church, with AA as "the greatest church I've ever been in", and how sobriety brings back interest in life: writing, music, relationships, and yes, basketball.
There’s plenty of humour and swearing, but underneath it all sits a clear message: obsessive passion can be destructive with drugs, yet the same intensity can make life rich and connected in sobriety. If you’ve ever swapped one obsession for another, or wondered what healthy passion might look like after alcohol and drugs, this conversation might feel strangely familiar. What could your “Knicks” be in recovery?
Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!
More From This Show
The latest episodes from the same podcast.
Related Episodes
Similar episodes from other shows in the catalogue.