The Knicks didn’t even make the playoffs, but that doesn’t mean the 2022 NBA Finals didn’t start with a knife to the heart of their fans.

When Warriors superstar Stephen Curry was asked what was going through his mind on draft night 2009 and what he thought of the franchise when he was selected, he answered his focus had been on the Knicks, who had the No. 8 pick, one spot ahead of Golden State.

“There was a lot in that question,” Curry said and laughed. “What did I think about the organization? I didn’t think much about it. I was growing up on the East Coast, so I watched games but all I really knew is the ‘We Believe’ team and the Baron Davis dunk and them beating Dallas. That was top of mind. I knew about Run TMC, but didn’t really understand the history as much. When I got drafted, I thought I was going to New York, and didn’t really have Golden State on the radar at all.”

The Knicks ended up drafting Jordan Hill. But then-Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said earlier this year on the “Old Man and the Three” podcast he had desperately wanted Curry.

“We were picking eight in New York, and, man, we wanted him so bad I could taste it,” D’Antoni said. “I didn’t know he was gonna be the Steph he is, obviously. But, for New York, he would have been on fire. He went seven and that was one of the highlights of my disappointment — it’s like, that’s huge.”