As NY Knicks fight through playoffs, fans test the magic of their gameday rituals

He has to keep it in his back pocket during games and twirl it from a specific corner. If he doesn’t, the Knicks will lose.

Ullio, a 31-year-old bartender at Stout, a bar near Madison Square Garden popular with Knicks fans, picked up the totem during the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers when a customer left it behind. Now he brings it to every game. The Knicks have largely disappointed New Yorkers for years. The team hasn’t won a championship since 1973. Only last year did they finally make it past the opening round of the playoffs after a decade-long drought. And that’s the problem for many of the fans’ magic rituals: there’s limited data to prove their success.“They just haven't been that close, that's part of the problem,” said Josh Jacobs, 42, a diehard Knicks fan and school teacher.

“It's such a catch 22, right?” he said, tossing his head back in frustration. “Like, if I watch them, they lose!”

United States Latest News, United States Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Knicks’ Injured Veteran Misses Practice Before Sixers-Knicks Game 4The New York Knicks missed a key player at practice on Saturday.
Source: SInow - 🏆 273. / 63 Read more »

OG Anunoby out for New York Knicks in Game 3 of Knicks vs Indiana Pacers seriesThe New York Knicks will be missing OG Anunoby for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinal series against the Indiana Pacers.
Source: SInow - 🏆 273. / 63 Read more »

Knicks call Joel Embiid's flagrant on Mitchell Robinson 'dirty'The Knicks took exception to a flagrant foul 76ers star Joel Embiid committed on Mitchell Robinson, calling the play 'dirty.'
Source: espn - 🏆 731. / 51 Read more »

Sixers' Kelly Oubre Jr. involved in Philly car crash hours after Game 2 loss to KnicksPolice said that a 2021 Lamborghini 'disregarded a red light' and struck a 2023 Hyundai Elantra early in the morning of Tuesday, April 23
Source: NBCPhiladelphia - 🏆 569. / 51 Read more »

Joel Embiid scores 50 to get 76ers first win of series vs. KnicksJoel Embiid led the 76ers to a win over the Knicks in Game 3 on Thursday night, having said after Philadelphia dropped into a 2-0 hole that 'we're going to win this series.'
Source: espn - 🏆 731. / 51 Read more »

Knicks Stars Get Critical of Philly Fans Before Game 3 vs. SixersFormer Villanova standouts are not happy with backlash from Sixers fans.
Source: SInow - 🏆 273. / 63 Read more »