The anticipation for the NBA Finals is building as the New York Knicks gear up to face off against the San Antonio Spurs. This marks the Spurs’ first appearance in the Finals since 2014, while the Knicks haven’t been in this position since their 1999 showdown, where they were defeated by the Spurs.
As fans debate who to support this year, many are leaning towards backing the Knicks, simply because they represent the league’s largest market and haven’t clinched a title since 1973. However, a closer look reveals that rooting for the Knicks comes with its challenges, thanks to certain off-putting aspects.
A recent survey conducted by Casino.org US, which involved more than 3,000 American adults, indicates that the Knicks are the nation’s favorite, with 46% of participants cheering for New York. Yet, there’s a twist: while people admire the Knicks as a team, they are less fond of the Knicks’ fanbase. The presence of celebrities like Kylie Jenner at the games has contributed to this sentiment.
The survey highlights that over half of Americans find New York sports fans “unbearable” when their teams are on a winning streak. Even among Knicks fans, 42.9% acknowledge that the behavior of New York sports supporters becomes intolerable with victories. Nearly half of those surveyed expressed that the downside of a potential Knicks championship would be the fans, media frenzy, celebrity supporters, and the inevitable “New York is back” hype.
Among those who hope the Knicks don’t win the series, 8.2% wish for a “respectable” loss, 4.3% desire a “heartbreaking” defeat, 3.9% hope for a sweep, and 29% are simply looking forward to “entertaining games.”
For respondents who want to see the Knicks lose the series, 8.2% percent said they would like to see the team lose in a “respectable way,” 4.3% would like the team to lose in “heartbreaking fashion,” 3.9% hope the team “gets swept,” and 29% say they “just want entertaining games.”
Among Knicks haters, 63% say the fans are annoying, while 36% admit they simply “do not want New York fans to be happy.” Ohio is the state most fed up with Knicks fans’ behavior, with 7 in 10 Ohioans saying New York fans are intolerable when winning.
And Kylie Jenner tops the Knicks Celebrity Row backlash list, with 45.3% of respondents saying “her presence at games makes the team hard to like.”
But while some may not love having a Jenner at games, it should be noted that the team does well when she’s there. When Jenner has been in attendance, she has an 83.3% courtside win rate and an average winning margin of 13.5 points.
According to data compiled by Casino.org US, the Knicks do not just win when Jenner shows up, they score more too, averaging 8.2 more points per game when she has been there in person. Moreover, the team averages “117.4 points when [Timothée] Chalamet has been in attendance, 13.6 points more than in other Knicks games analyzed.” And when Jenner, Chamalet, and superfan Spike Lee have all been in attendance, the Knicks win by nearly 20 points per game.
And for anyone wondering if Jenner’s presence could also mean the “Kardashian Kurse” is in effect, well, just a reminder that Lamar Odom did win an NBA championship while he was with Khloé, and Kim was Reggie Bush’s girlfriend when he won a Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints. And while Kendall’s ex, Devin Booker, hasn’t hoisted the Larry O’Brien Trophy, he has won a couple of Olympic gold medals for the U.S.