“Getting donated to a third world country”: NBA fans sound off as Knicks prematurely printing Game 7 hats despite trailing 3-2 to Pacers

May 31, 2025

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The New York Knicks won Game 5 111-94 against the Indiana Pacers on Thursday. Following this loss, the Pacers lead the series 3-2 and are still one win away from reaching the NBA Finals. Meanwhile, New York cannot afford to make any mistakes as the next loss will see their season come to an end.

Despite what’s at stake, the confidence in New York is at an all-time high as Game 7 hats in the Knicks’ colors have already begun to surface. The team hasn’t even won Game 6 and is already looking forward to Game 7.

Their show of confidence didn’t go unnoticed by the fans, who reacted to the hats on social media.

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One fan said:

Another fan said:

One fan commented:

Others also poked fun at the team by suggesting that they will soon be donating these hats to a third-world country.

One fan said:

Another fan said:

Said another fan:

Depending on how Game 6 goes, printing these hats will either be a genius move or a massive failure for New York. Both teams will be heading to the Gainbridge Fieldhouse for Game 6 on Saturday. The Pacers will have home-court advantage as they look to make their first NBA Finals appearance in 25 years.

The New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers are looking to break a two-decade NBA Finals drought

The New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers are fighting for the same thing in the Eastern Conference finals. Both teams have failed to reach the NBA Finals in over two decades. The Pacers’ last Finals appearance was in 2000, while the Knicks made it a year before in 1999.

Interestingly, the Pacers defeated New York to make the NBA Finals in 2000. From the looks of it, we could be on the verge of seeing history repeat itself as Indiana has put itself in a strong position, holding a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.

However, that goes both ways, as New York defeated the Pacers in 1999 to book their last trip to the finals. Both teams reached the biggest stage and fell to some of the biggest stars in basketball.

The Knicks lost to Gregg Popovich’s San Antonio Spurs while the Pacers were defeated by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal’s LA Lakers.

About the author

Sameer is an esports and gaming journalist at Sportskeeda who covers a diverse range of topics. He is currently pursuing a BSc degree from BITS, but his love for video games pushed him to pursue a gaming journalism career. He relies on diligent research and fact-checking to deliver top-notch content. He has previously worked in the hospitality sector with the Oberoi Group.

Sameer’s gaming journey began with Rockstar Games’ GTA franchise, specifically
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. He strongly prefers multiplayer games, with FPS being his favorite genre, and has devoted 6K+ hours to CS:GO! However, he also dabbles in open-world, story-based games from time to time. Solo RPGs like Horizon Forbidden West hold a soft spot in his heart, and he would readily drop in it given a Jumanji-type scenario.

Sameer makes sure to follow Counter-Strike and Valorant esports tournaments, as he believes that watching a game being played at the highest level can be highly educational. He derives inspiration from Tarik's meteoric rise to become one of the biggest FPS streamers in the world following the release of Valorant.

Outside of work, you can find Sameer playing football or cheering for FC Barcelona. He also likes to read and write poetry.

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