NEW YORK.- Pop diva Taylor Swift was on the Madison Square Garden court to cheer on the New York Knicks in the fourth game of the NBA Finals on Wednesday, an appearance that immediately generated a stir on social media thanks to the reactions of her fans and the general public.
The 14-time Grammy winner, sporting a blue and orange Knicks jersey with the message “Stevie Knicks,” added to her already considerable star power by joining longtime Knicks fans such as film director Spike Lee and actor Ben Stiller in the crowd.
The appearance came a day after his surprise performance in Los Angeles at the film’s world premiere toy story 5for which he wrote a song.
And it came at the same iconic stadium where her wedding to NFL player Travis Kelce is rumored to take place next month.
The Knicks’ bid for a first NBA title since 1973, against a young Spurs team that included French phenom Victor Wembanyama, has galvanized New York and captured the attention of sports fans across the United States.
Historic final
The Knicks’ victories in the first two games in San Antonio fueled feverish enthusiasm among their fans.
The Spurs made up a game Monday at Madison Square Garden, where U.S. President Donald Trump was booed when he attended the final game as a guest of Knicks owner James Dolan.
That game was the third most-watched NBA Finals game since 1998, the year of icon Michael Jordan’s last Finals, according to figures released by the media research company Nielsen.
The game averaged 23.8 million viewers and peaked at 26.3 million at the end of the fourth quarter, Nielsen said Wednesday.
That’s the largest television audience since Super Bowl 60 on February 8.
Swift is not a new Knicks fan. Born in neighboring Pennsylvania, she has attended other Knicks games since moving to New York in 2014.
Three weeks ago, she and Kelce attended a Knicks playoff game against the Cavaliers in Cleveland, a Knicks victory much to the frustration of Ohio-born Kelce.
