Nike celebrated the New York Knicks’ first NBA championship in 53 years with a film that debuted moments after the final buzzer. Written and directed by Josh Safdie with Wieden+Kennedy , the spot follows a young fan racing through New York City as the reality of a long-awaited title begins to sink in. The film was produced by Superprime and shot by Academy Award-winning cinematographer Linus Sandgren.

Born and raised in New York, Safdie drew inspiration from his own experience following the team’s Eastern Conference Finals victory.

“When they won the ECF, I just left my house and hurried to The Garden. Among me were a herd of young kids sprinting in the same direction. There was a specific feeling amongst us; we just needed to get there. It was a gravitational pull. We all needed to be together. We were not alone in our feelings. It was a pure, unadulterated feeling.

I imagined making a piece that’s simply that. Pure feeling. Emotions are forever. So this film asked: What does it feel like? It’s that surreal feeling of being in a waking dream.

The film stars a real New Yorker named Chiki, wearing his own Nike sneakers.

“Chiki’s the feeling in all of us. It doesn’t matter if you’re just getting into the sport and you’re 6 or if you’re 70 and have been waiting for the Knicks to get back there. It’s that feeling of knowing. Visceral knowing” Safdie adds.

Set to Billy Joel’s New York State of Mind, the film pairs the city’s celebration with a song long associated with Knicks victories.

Safdie says: “There’s a feeling of the piano. There’s a kind of joyous melancholy to it… but joyous is the operative word. For 20 years, the Garden has played that Billy Joel tune 20 mins after a win. When the cleaning begins. Knicks fans know every note, every word.”

The film closes with the line: “Never slept. Always dreamed.”

Read about the film HERE