Hollywood’s love affair with the New York Knicks extends far beyond Timothée Chalamet’s exuberant courtside cheering, or even Spike Lee’s unwavering support as a season ticketholder of 40-plus years. The team and its fandom have long figured into film and television as a symbol of the city’s passion. Knicks fans know how to celebrate. They know how to persevere. And they know that they can leverage a man’s loyalty to the team to convince him to do whatever it is that they want him to do.
OK, yeah. That last one is a little specific to “Friends.” But if the promise of season tickets can tempt Chandler Bing and Joey Tribbiani into giving up the unbelievably spacious Greenwich Village apartment that New Yorkers still salivate over today, there must be something truly special about the Knicks.
As you warm up for Game 5, why not revisit some of the team’s most memorable moments on screen?
In “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,” Andie (Kate Hudson) carries out her grand dating experiment by asking Ben (Matthew McConaughey) to go fetch her a Diet Coke in the final quarter of the game. Not unlike Wednesday’s jaw-dropping Game 4 comeback, the rom-com’s Knicks clinch the win in the final few seconds. But Ben is too busy getting the soda to witness it. Poor guy.
Remember in “Sex and the City” when Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) dates Dr. Robert Leeds (Blair Underwood), the Knicks’ team doctor who gives her floor seats, and still ends up leaving him for her ex-boyfriend? We love Steve (David Eigenberg), of course, but gosh, Miranda. Imagine the life you could have led!
Speaking of sports doctors, Bill Hader plays one in “Trainwreck,” the rom-com in which he is beckoned back to the court after a Knicks game to witness his love interest, played by Amy Schumer, performing an elaborate dance routine with the Knicks City Dancers to his favorite song, Billy Joel’s “Uptown Girl.” Her ploy to win him over is successful, and everyone lives happily ever after (probably).
The aforementioned scene in “Friends” is just one of many, many Knicks references made over the show’s 10-season run. Joey is a diehard fan.
The Nerdlucks had better stay far, far away from San Antonio during Game 5, because this “Space Jam” scene in which they steal the basketball players’ talents would be an absolute nightmare come true.
In a memorable moment of Knicks fandom, Kramer (Michael Richards) recalls to Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) and Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) how he got kicked out of Madison Square Garden after getting “involved” in a fight between Spike Lee and Indiana Pacers player Reggie Miller. His weapon of choice? A hot dog.
Honorable mention goes to Maggie Rogers, who isn’t a film or television star but is an entertainer who threw a delightful bit of shade at the Knicks in her song “So Sick of Dreaming.” The track features a voice recording of Rogers telling a friend about how an ex stood her up for dinner because he got last-minute Knicks tickets. Rogers says, “And by the way, the Knicks lost.” Karma! It’s all in good fun, as Rogers is actually a big Knicks supporter in real life.
