What the New York Knicks have been able to achieve so far this playoffs has been nothing short of historic and what they're doing for the city of New York and the community of Knicks fans at large is even more meaningful. 

For such a historic franchise, they've enjoyed far more disappointment than success and for years the name "Knicks" was synonymous with failure. 

That's true across the collective conscience of basketball fans everywhere, but it's even truer for those that actually grew up as Knicks fans and saw the years of disappointment firsthand. 

Karl-Anthony Towns, who has been a vital part of the Knicks' success in the playoffs this season and led the team in points in the Game 4 victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers that propelled the Knicks to their first finals appearance this century, is one of those lifelong fans.

A New Jersey native, Towns grew up a Knicks fan and he knows exactly how long this team and it's fanbase have suffered and how much advancing to the Finals means to them. To be a part of the team that achieved that feat is a full-circle moment for him that he dearly appreciates. 

"Growing up in the area, I feel like the word 'hope' has been gone from the New York Knicks name for a long time. For me and OG [Anunoby] to be part of this team that revives the word 'hope' in the city, it's something special," Towns said (via SNY_Knicks). 

Of course, simply making it to the Finals isn't the end of their work. Towns and this Knicks squad have a much loftier goal: to actually win the whole thing and based on the way they've been playing, this is the greatest chance the franchise has had at actually doing that since the 1973 team that did win the team's last championship.

They've won 11-straight playoff games and are going to enjoy another lengthy stretch of rest while the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs continue to battle it out for the Western Conference crown. 

Whoever wins and advances to face the Knicks will likely be worn and depleted while the Knicks will be riding the momentum of a historic playoff run and will have had ample time to prepare for their opponents.

That's not to say any of it will be easy, though. The Thunder and Spurs were the top two teams in the NBA during the regular season and they each boast a talented roster with premier talents. 

As much of the Knicks are going to take their time and enjoy everything they've accomplished up to this point, they're staying focused on their goal as well.

That goal, should they achieve it, will be one of the most special moments in the history of New York sports as a whole and it falls to Towns and his team to get it done. 

"There's nowhere better in the world when the Garden has hope," Towns said.