#83- 16 Words for Comebacks, Underdogs and The New York Knicks

What do basketball and everyday English have in common? More than you might think!

In this episode of The Real Life English with Gabby Podcast, we're celebrating the New York Knicks' incredible championship journey while learning 16 common sports idioms, phrasal verbs, and slang expressions that Americans use every day for MORE than just sports.

You'll learn expressions like a long shot, bounce back, and come in clutch, and discover how to use them naturally in conversations about work, school, relationships, and everyday life.

In this episode, you'll:

• Learn 16 useful sports expressions through an engaging story
• Hear simple definitions and real-life examples
• Discover how these expressions are used outside of sports
• Improve your listening and vocabulary and gain confidence!

Don't forget to download the FREE Study Guide! It includes the full transcript, vocabulary definitions, example sentences, and practice activities (including a matching exercise, gap fill, multiple choice questions, and a speaking challenge) to help you remember and confidently use everything you learn.

Whether you're a basketball fan or have never watched a game, this episode will help you understand the English that native speakers use every day.

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Transcript

[00:00:00] On this episode of the RealLife English with Gabby podcast, I'll be teaching you 16 words for comebacks, underdogs, and the New York Knicks basketball team. You'll be learning vocabulary like come out swinging, down to the wire, bounce back, choke, and more. Let's get to it!

Hey there! Welcome to the RealLife English with Gabby podcast. I'm your host, Gabby, your fun and friendly English teacher from the one and only New York City. My goal is to teach you phrasal verbs, idioms, and slang that will help you speak English confidently and understand real American conversations.

Are you ready to improve your English skills? Let's jump right in!

Hey, hey, hey! Greetings from New York City! Welcome back to the RealLife English with Gabby podcast. So much has happened since the last episode. I know it's been a minute, [00:01:00] as we say in English.

The past few weeks, I have been with about 50 students inside of my new course, 30-Day Idioms Challenge. It was a lot of fun. Students really were able to learn new idioms and expressions, and things have been busy.

But I do have to say that I'm so excited about this episode. You know, I've talked about it on the podcast, that it's a terrible time to be an American, if we're gonna be completely honest. But it is a freaking amazing time to be a New Yorker.

Being a New Yorker is always different, and if you've been here, you understand why. New York is kind of like its own country. We are very different from the rest of the USA in many ways. We share some commonalities with other big cities, but here in New York, we're always doing okay.

We are living our best [00:02:00] lives in the first half of 2026. These first six months, after a really crazy winter, which I talked about in previous episodes, we've been doing well. We have a new mayor who's really making things happen here in New York City. Crime is down for the first time in years.

We're hosting the World Cup and have amazing people here from all over the world. There's fun events, watch parties, and so much fun stuff happening. But the best thing of all is that our beloved NBA basketball team, the New York Knicks, won the championship.

This has been fifty years in the making. Before this, the Knicks hadn't won since the early seventies, 1973. It was crazy, guys.

Today's episode is a little bit different because it's a very specific kind of [00:03:00] episode, and I'll be talking about something that means a lot to New Yorkers, especially to someone like me, who is a lifelong New Yorker.

But even if you are not interested in sports, or even if you are not an American like me, not a New Yorker, this episode is still gonna be great for you because the sixteen phrasal verbs, idioms, and slang expressions that you're gonna learn actually apply to all different types of situations.

I've done episodes before on sports. We talked about it a lot during the Olympics episode, and if you've ever heard me talk about sports idioms and sports expressions, you'll know that we use them a lot in the business world as well, and in our everyday lives.

So the vocabulary that you're gonna learn in this episode, you will be able to apply to all different types of situations. I'm gonna use sports only because that's the season that we're in right now, but you [00:04:00] can actually use this vocabulary for a lot of different things.

If you've listened to this podcast for a while, or if you know me from Instagram, some of you are my former students who've known me in real life, you probably know that I was born and raised in Brooklyn, and I still live here in Brooklyn with my husband and our three children.

I grew up in Brooklyn in the 1990s and early 2000s. I am a millennial, and if you are a millennial like me, or even if you're someone who's interested in the NBA, you know that in the early 1990s and the early 2000s, the NBA (National Basketball Association) was full of legendary players like Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, and Kobe Bryant.

It was just an amazing time for basketball. And so I grew up watching these amazing players, and, you know, every year since I [00:05:00] was younger, I would watch my New York Knicks fight their way through the season.

Sometimes we'd make an amazing playoff run. We'd get so close that you could almost taste the championship. We believed. We hoped. But in the end, we had—we always fell short. And so those are the Knicks that I grew up with, just watching them fight and then seeing them fail at the end of the season.

And as a Knicks fan, you learn to live with disappointment. You celebrate the good moments, and you hope that next year will be different, and somehow you convince yourself that this is finally the season.

And you know, I'm sure that you all know what that's like. Every year, no matter what sport it is, only one team can win. And so, for most of us, every season of whatever sport we're watching ends in heartbreak. And then the [00:06:00] next season comes, and we do it all again.

And, you know, if you are someone who loves sports like I do, it is a rollercoaster of emotions, we say. We have ups and downs, happiness and sadness, all wrapped up into one season.

And I don't know about you, for the sports teams that you love, but, you know, being a Knicks fan here in New York, you don't stop believing in your team. You complain, you yell at the TV while you're watching games, you get frustrated, but you always come back. And I'm sure that many of you listening have a team just like that.

And, if you're not from New York, it's hard to explain just how important the Knicks are to this city. Let me try to explain.

In baseball, New York has two teams: the New York Yankees, which many people know, and then the New York Mets. The New York Mets are my team, by the way.

In American [00:07:00] football, we also have two teams. We have the New York Giants and the New York Jets.

In hockey, we also have two teams: the New York Rangers and the New York Islanders.

But for most of modern New York basketball history, there has only been one team that represented New York, and that is the New York Knicks.

I should mention that we now have a team called the Brooklyn Nets, but they only moved to Brooklyn in 2012.

So, for generations of New Yorkers, if you loved basketball, you were a Knicks fan. The Nets were from New Jersey growing up. They were our rivals. And then they moved to Brooklyn, and they built them a new stadium.

And that's why this is so different, because for every other major sport in New York, the city is split because we like [00:08:00] different teams.

But for basketball, we all love the Knicks. We all love one team.

And this is why this championship meant so much and truly changed the city. Every celebrity that was ever born in New York liked the Knicks and was posting about the Knicks. Every political leader we've ever had that was from New York liked the Knicks.

People who grew up in New York and then moved away were also posting about how much they loved the Knicks.

And I even know people who flew in or drove here, who had moved out of New York, just to watch some games or just to go to watch parties that were held throughout the city. And they came to the parade when the Knicks won.

So this isn't just about one great season. It's about more than fifty years of waiting. It's about parents who watched the Knicks with their children, and then those children, like me, grew up and watched with my kids, all hoping to [00:09:00] see another championship.

Entire generations of fans were never able to experience their team winning.

And so, since 1973, New Yorkers have been waiting patiently—over fifty years of hope and anticipation.

So today, we're going to relive that incredible journey, and while we do that, you're going to learn some of the most popular sports idioms, phrasal verbs, and slang that Americans use, not just when we talk about sports, but in everyday life too.

Before we continue, I just wanna remind you that there is a study guide waiting for you that will help you remember everything that you learn in this episode.

The study guide is free, and you have the story, all of the words, example sentences, the transcript, [00:10:00] and you also have practice activities—three practice activities that you can use to help test what you remember.

The best way to learn vocabulary is to learn it in context, in multiple different ways, to be exposed to the vocabulary in different ways.

And so, that is what I give you in the podcast and also what I give you in the study guide.

If you want that study guide, just go to the episode description and click the link. If you are already on my email list, then you already have this in your inbox, or you will get it soon.

Now let's take a look at the vocabulary that you'll be learning in this episode: a long shot, on the ropes, throw in the towel, come out swinging, step up, fight back, down to the wire, clutch, on fire, beast [00:11:00] mode, bounce back, choke, hold on, pull off, against all odds, and close out.

Now I'm going to read you a story that uses all of this vocabulary in real-life contexts. Follow along as I read and see if you can guess the meaning by using context clues.

Here we go.

For most of the season, nobody expected the Knicks to become NBA champions. Before the first game, many sports analysts said it was a long shot that they would even make the playoffs. The team had talented players, but they also had injuries and a difficult schedule. Most people ranked other teams ahead of the Knicks to win the title this year.

The season didn't start perfectly either. In January, the [00:12:00] Knicks lost several important games, and at one point they looked like they were on the ropes. Some fans wondered if this would be another disappointing season.

People on social media even said the team should throw in the towel and start thinking about next season.

But the Knicks had a different idea.

Every night, they came out swinging. Instead of feeling sorry for themselves, the players played harder. Whenever one player was injured, another would step up. The bench players scored big points. The defense became stronger, and the team slowly started climbing the standings.

By the time the playoffs arrived, the Knicks had become one of the hottest teams in the NBA. They didn't win every game easily. In fact, they had to fight back again and again. More than once, they were [00:13:00] losing in double digits before making an incredible comeback.

Game two of the playoffs was especially unforgettable. The score was close all night, and it went down to the wire. With only a few seconds left, Jalen Brunson, the team captain, drove the ball and shot a difficult basket.

The crowd at Madison Square Garden exploded. The team captain had once again come in clutch.

As the playoffs continued, Brunson was on fire. Every game, he seemed to score thirty or forty points. On defense, another player named OG Anunoby was in beast mode, stealing the ball, blocking shots, and frustrating the other team's best players.

But the most incredible thing happened in game five. The Knicks were down seventy-six to forty-nine. Some [00:14:00] fans started leaving Madison Square Garden, and many fans gave up hope that the Knicks would win.

But guess what?

Slowly, in the third and fourth quarters, the Knicks started scoring. The Knicks were always a fourth-quarter team, meaning that they always finished strong. However, no one believed that they could bounce back from such a large deficit. In fact, no NBA team had ever won a game in the Finals after losing by twenty-five or more points.

But they did.

The Knicks had the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history and won the game one oh seven to one oh six.

Throughout the playoffs, not every team handled pressure as well as the Knicks.

The San Antonio Spurs are one example of this. In one of the games, their star player, whose name is Wemby, [00:15:00] began to choke. He missed free throws, he turned the ball over, and he couldn't make the big shots when his team needed him most.

The Knicks were mentally stronger, and through every game they played, they managed to stay calm. They held on, and they never let the game slip away.

It was amazing watching the Knicks pull off something that nobody thought was possible. Against all odds, the New York Knicks had won their first NBA championship in over fifty years. Fans filled the streets of New York City, cheering, crying, and celebrating together.

After so many years of waiting, the Knicks had finally closed out the Finals and brought the championship trophy back home.

The end.

Okay, so now let's talk about the definitions.

First up, we have a long shot. It was a [00:16:00] long shot that the Knicks would win this season.

A long shot is someone or something that has very little chance of succeeding but could still succeed. So they could, but there's a very small chance. It is highly unlikely that this will happen.

For example, getting accepted into Harvard University is a long shot, but I'm still going to apply.

Next up, we have to be on the ropes. This is not to be confused with showing someone the ropes or learning the ropes. This is actually a boxing idiom where someone has you on the edge of the boxing ring, which is on the ropes. It's a very bad thing because it means you're going to lose.

So, to be on the ropes means when you're in a difficult situation and you are close to failing or close to losing.

For example, after losing several important [00:17:00] clients, the company was on the ropes.

Next up, we have to throw in the towel. This is one that we've talked about before on the podcast, and to throw in the towel is to give up or stop trying because success seems impossible.

For example, even though the project was difficult, Maria refused to throw in the towel.

This idiom actually comes from boxing, where coaches would throw in a towel to show that they were giving up the match.

Next up, we have to come out swinging. This means to begin something with confidence, energy, or determination. You start right away with a bang.

The new employee came out swinging and impressed everyone on her first day.

This is similar to hit the ground running, another very popular idiom, except hit the ground running usually [00:18:00] refers to motivation, whereas coming out swinging can be motivation, but it's more like confidence and energy. You came out aggressive from the beginning.

Next up, we have the phrasal verb step up.

To step up means to take responsibility or perform better when it's needed. So, something happens and leadership is needed, and you take that responsibility. You perform better.

For example, when the manager was sick, Alex stepped up and led the meeting.

Next up, we have another phrasal verb, fight back. This is extremely popular. And this means to fight hard and come back from a difficult situation.

For example, after failing his first exam, Jack fought back and earned an A in his class.

[00:19:00] Next up, we have down to the wire. This is an idiom. This is continuing until the very last moment before the result is decided. So you keep going until right before the deadline, right before you have to stop.

For example, the election was so close that it went down to the wire.

Next up, we have the slang expression clutch.

To be clutch, or to come in in the clutch, is when you're able to perform extremely well during important or high-pressure moments. This is a very, very common slang word, not only in sports but also in business and everyday life.

So, for example, if I'm sick and my friend comes to me at work and brings me chicken soup or medicine, I'm like, "Oh, coming in clutch."

Like, during [00:20:00] this amazing moment, you are perfect. You're exactly what is needed.

For example, Sarah gave a clutch presentation that helped her team win the contract.

Next up, we have another slang expression, to be on fire. This means to be performing exceptionally well over a period of time. You are performing at a very high level, and you're seeing success back to back to back.

For example, Olivia has been on fire lately, earning the highest grades in every class.

Next up, we have another slang expression, beast mode. This means to perform with incredible strength, energy, or intensity. For example, you are performing like a beast, a monster. You are totally controlling the situation.

For example, my brother went into beast mode while cleaning the house and finished everything in an [00:21:00] hour.

Next up, we have the phrasal verb bounce back. This means to recover quickly after a failure, after a loss, or after some kind of difficult experience.

After losing his job, Daniel bounced back by starting his own business.

Next up, we have to choke. This means to fail because of nervousness or pressure, especially in an important situation.

For example, she knew all of the answers, but she choked during the interview.

This is a slang word, and to choke means to fail in a very important situation, and usually you're failing because of pressure or nervousness.

For example, she knew all the answers, but she choked during the interview.

In the story, when they were talking about the lead player for the San Antonio Spurs, which is [00:22:00] Wemby, they said that he choked. That means that he failed during a really important situation.

Next up, we have the phrasal verb hold on. This means to keep a lead or continue something despite pressure or difficulty. So just hold on. Continue winning. Do what you're doing, even though there's a lot of pressure or difficulty.

For example, we just need to hold on for a few more minutes until help arrives.

Next up, we have pull off, which is a phrasal verb. It means to succeed in doing something difficult or unexpected.

For example, it's amazing that they pulled off such a successful event with so little time to prepare.

So we often say, "Yeah, I pulled it off," or, "Wow, she pulled it off." She succeeded, and it wasn't expected.

Next up, we have the idiom [00:23:00] against all odds. This means, despite facing many difficulties or having little chance of success. A lot of obstacles were against you. A lot of things could have caused you to fail. But despite all this, you did it.

For example, against all odds, the small family business survived the economic crisis.

And lastly, we have the phrasal verb close out. To close out means to finish something successfully, especially by completing the final step.

So we say, "Oh, what a great way to close out the season," or, "Close out the evening." You are finishing something, but you're doing it with success, and you followed all the steps, and it led you here.

Well, guess what? You just learned 16 phrasal verbs, idioms, and slang words for comebacks, underdogs, and the New York Knicks.

[00:24:00] I hope you enjoyed these sports idioms, and I'm gonna give you some homework.

Not only should you go download the study guide right now, but after you download the study guide and do the practice activities, I want you to challenge yourself, and I want you to use about six or seven of the vocabulary words and expressions that you heard in this episode.

You have a lot of different options on how to do it. You can write in your journal, you can text a friend and teach them this new vocabulary, or you can even do something as simple as recording yourself using these words.

However you decide to do it, make sure you do it, because the more you're exposed to these words and the more you use them, the easier it'll be for you to use them naturally.

Well, that's a wrap for today's episode of the RealLife English with [00:25:00] Gabby podcast.

Be sure to download today's study guide so that you can learn how to use this vocabulary confidently.

If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe for more weekly adventures in English learning.

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Thanks so much for tuning in.