The New York Knicks lived to die another day last night, beating the Indiana Pacers at Madison Square Garden to stave off elimination in the Eastern Conference Finals. In order to extend the series, some Knicks fans went above and beyond – much to the delight of ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith.
Prior to yesterday’s game, one Knicks fan named Rohit Thawani took to X and announced he had paid “a witch on Etsy” to “cast a spell” to make the Knicks win Game 5.
“Knicks fans – I just paid a witch on Etsy to cast a spell to help us win game 5 tonight. I’m doing my part,” Thawani wrote.
Whether magic is real or not, Thawani got his wish. Pacers superstar Tyrese Haliburton was held to just eight points while Knicks star Jalen Brunson had 32 in a 111-94 win.
After the game, Thawani’s post went viral with many Knicks fans thanking him for his “service” to the organization’s win.
Among them was Stephen A. Smith, who similarly thanked him for his efforts in getting the Knicks to Game 6.
“Thank you for your efforts,” Smith wrote.
Thank you for your efforts https://t.co/V3ZWELQQzd
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) May 30, 2025
NBA fans pointed out that invoking “black magic” is likely to bite the Knicks if they try to do something like that again, while others believe they might as well try it if it worked once before:
“All dark magic comes back worse,” one user warned.
“Lmao Knicks fans really needed witchcraft and the Pope praying for Nova Knicks to win one tonight,” wrote another.
“Can you talk about getting a witch organized for Game Six on the program tomorrow, please? We need to be prepared ahead of time,” a third wrote.
“I think the discount is the best part. Hopefully it doesn’t back fire lol.”
Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images.
The Knicks are probably going to need a lot more than some black magic in order to win Game 6, let alone win the entire series. Overcoming a 3-1 deficit in the Eastern Conference Finals is notoriously hard.
In the history of the NBA playoffs only 36 teams have forced a Game 7 after falling into a 3-1 hole. Of those teams, only 13 have gone on to win the series.
Related: Stephen A. Smith’s Outfit For Game 7 Knicks vs. Pacers Is Going Viral