It is a name that makes every New York Knicks fan smile — Steve “Novakaine” Novak.
Despite never playing more than 20 minutes a game, the sharpshooter and Marquette product was a fan favorite for his two seasons with the Knicks from 2011 to 2013. He was traded that year to the Toronto Raptors to land former first overall pick Andrea Bargnani.
Whether it was his signature celebration, the great teams that he played on, or a collection of his absurd shooting statistics, Novak was one of the more beloved Knicks players of the 21st century.
And now for some summer nostalgia, it’s time to look back at Novak’s best moments and favorite attributes.
4 reasons why New York Knicks fans loved Steve Novak
4: Novak’s signature championship belt celebration
There aren’t many signature celebrations in the NBA, but my god did Steve Novak have one of the best.
Call it whatever you like, simply “the belt celebration,” or “the championship belt celebration,” or the “discount double-check celebration,” made famous by Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
The connection to Green Bay and Wisconsin is actually the origin of why Novak began doing the celebration.
As mentioned earlier, Novak went to Marquette, which is in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. “Showing a little Wisconsin love,” he told reporters after a game in 2012 when he was asked about the celebration.
Believe it or not, there was also momentary drama around Novak’s belt move.
In 2013, Nate Robinson broke out the celebration against Novak and the Knicks when he was playing for the Chicago Bulls. After the game, Novak chose full-blown sarcasm and took a shot at Robinson’s famously short height.
“It warms my heart,” Novak said of Robinson doing his celebration. “It really does. The best part about doing the belt is hearing the stories about all the little kids who hit a three-pointer and do the belt. One day, when Little Nathan grows up, his dreams come true and he can be just like me.”
Outside of that back and forth, the celebration was almost always an extremely positive thing.
The three-point specialist seemed to perfectly time the celebration every time, never overdoing it and always sending the crowd into a frenzy.
The belt celebration is around the 1:30 mark in the video below.
one of the more beloved Knicks players of the 21st century</a>.</p>
<p>And now for some summer nostalgia, it’s time to look back at Novak’s best moments and favorite attributes.</p>
<h2>4 reasons why New York Knicks fans loved Steve Novak</h2>
<h3>4: Novak’s signature championship belt celebration</h3>
<p>There aren’t many signature celebrations in the NBA, but my god did Steve Novak have one of the best.</p>
<p>Call it whatever you like, simply “the belt celebration,” or “the championship belt celebration,” or the “discount double-check celebration,” made famous by Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.</p>
<p>The connection to Green Bay and Wisconsin is actually the origin of why Novak began doing the celebration.</p>
<p>As mentioned earlier, Novak went to Marquette, which is in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. “Showing a little Wisconsin love,” <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/07/30/look-back-best-knicks-legend-steve-novak/"https://larrybrownsports.com/basketball/steve-novak-discount-double-check-celebration/117756" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he told reporters after a game</a> in 2012 when he was asked about the celebration.</p>
<p>Believe it or not, there was also momentary drama around Novak’s belt move.</p>
<p>In 2013, Nate Robinson broke out the celebration against Novak and the Knicks when he was playing for the Chicago Bulls. After the game, Novak <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/07/30/look-back-best-knicks-legend-steve-novak/"https://www.si.com/nba/2013/01/13/steve-novak-nate-robinson-discount-double-check-belt-knicks-bulls" target="_blank" rel="noopener">chose full-blown sarcasm</a> and took a shot at Robinson’s famously short height.</p>
<blockquote class="left ampstart-left">“It warms my heart,” Novak said of Robinson doing his celebration. “It really does. The best part about doing the belt is hearing the stories about all the little kids who hit a three-pointer and do the belt. One day, when Little Nathan grows up, his dreams come true and he can be just like me.”</p>
<p></blockquote>
<p>Outside of that back and forth, the celebration was almost always an extremely positive thing.</p>
<p>The three-point specialist seemed to perfectly time the celebration every time, never overdoing it and always sending the crowd into a frenzy.</p>
<p>The belt celebration is around the 1:30 mark in the video below.</p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">9 years ago today, Steve Novak dropped 14 points in the fourth quarter and unleashed the belt celebration en route to a Knicks W 💦<a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/07/30/look-back-best-knicks-legend-steve-novak/"https://t.co/L1nuqNlVsm">pic.twitter.com/L1nuqNlVsm
<p>— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/07/30/look-back-best-knicks-legend-steve-novak/"https://twitter.com/sny_knicks/status/1362763871694426117?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>February 19, 2021</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/07/30/look-back-best-knicks-legend-steve-novak/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #007BC1" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/07/30/look-back-best-knicks-legend-steve-novak/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Novak's league-leading and record-breaking numbers </a>
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during the 2012-13 season</a>, averaging 6.6 points, 1.9 rebounds, and nearly two threes a game while averaging 20 minutes a contest. It is not the craziest stat line, but he was a consistent part of a lovable bench squad that included Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith, Pablo Prigioni, and Rasheed Wallace.</p>
<p>The 2012-13 season was also Anthony’s best season with the Knicks, as he averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 2.6 assists on 45% shooting from the field.</p>
<p>The year prior, Novak actually missed the first game of Linsanity against the New Jersey Nets, but he then played a major role in the next few games of the run.</p>
<p>In Jeremy Lin’s second and third games of the magical run, Novak chipped in with two 19-point, five 3-pointer performances. Remember, Novak only broke 20 points seven times in his career, so two back-to-back 19-point outputs are noticeable.</p>
<p>The 2011-12 season for Lin, even though it was only 35 games, also ended up being the best of his career. He finished the year averaging 14.6 points, 6.2 assists, and 3.1 rebounds, and he promptly got paid millions of dollars by the Houston Rockets.</p>
<p>The ending take away? Jeremy Lin and Carmelo Anthony both had their best Knicks year with Steve Novak on the court.</p>
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