When Este Haim sat down for the first time at Madison Square Garden’s courtside seats, she expected a fun night out. What she got instead was one of the most electric comebacks in NBA Finals history — and a front-row seat to a moment that would help end a 53-year championship drought for the New York Knicks.
Haim, one-third of the rock trio HAIM, walked the red carpet for the film Voicemails for Isabelle this week and opened up about that unforgettable June evening. She was still buzzing from the experience, calling it a “magical, magical experience” in conversation with Variety. The singer admitted she had never sat courtside before, and being that close to the floor during a 29-point rally left her awestruck.
“I’ve never heard the Garden be that loud in my life, so it was amazing. I had the best time,” she said.
That night — Game 4 of the NBA Finals — the Knicks were staring down a 3-1 series deficit after getting blown out in Game 3 by the San Antonio Spurs. Down by 29 points at one stage, New York stormed back behind Jalen Brunson’s 36 points and OG Anunoby’s 33, with Anunoby tipping in a missed Brunson jumper to seal the win. The Knicks would go on to close out the series in Game 5 and hoist their first title since 1973.
So how did Este and her sister Alana end up at that historic game? According to Este, the invite came from none other than Taylor Swift.
“Taylor invited me and Alana,” Este confirmed. The pop superstar has been a longtime friend and supporter of HAIM, having taken them as opening acts on both the 1989 and Eras tours. Swift’s presence at Knicks playoff games has become its own sideshow in recent seasons, but this time she let the Haim sisters soak up the spotlight — along with some unexpected viral fame.
The sisters’ “Stevie Knicks” t-shirts — a playful nod to HAIM’s song “Stevie” and the Knicks — became an instant internet sensation during the broadcast. Este admitted the reaction caught the whole group off guard.
“I think it surprised all of us,” she said. “I just went into it like, ‘We’re gonna go to a basketball game and have fun.’ That was literally it. I just wanna have a good time!”
Whether the shirts make a return for next season remains to be seen, but Este is clear on one thing: she’d happily take that courtside seat again — maybe even with a repeat performance from the Knicks.
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