Play all audios:
There’s plenty of star power on hand for Game 5 at Madison Square Garden between the Knicks and Pacers, but ESPN personality Pat McAfee is not among that group.
The sports talk host told his audience on Thursday that he was not making the trip to New York for the game despite public pressure from Knicks superfan and actor Ben Stiller.
Stiller had called on McAfee to be at the game on Thursday after he cut a WWE-style promo during Game 4 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, calling out Stiller, Timothée Chalamet and Spike Lee, who
all made the trip to Indianapolis.
“The New York Knicks are at home tonight, down three games to one, in Madison Square Garden. There will be a ton of people packed there in that arena. I will not be one of them,” McAfee
admitted.
“Ben Stiller extended an invite to me publicly, but I am not paying $70,000 for a ticket. I’m sorry, I just can not do it. Obviously I will be watching the game. I’ll be fired up for the
game, but I will not be at Madison Square Garden. I’m just not doing it.”
McAfee also claimed he had a scheduling conflict among other excuses that he gave for not going to the game.
Stiller had reacted to the viral moment of McAfee on Wednesday while appearing on “The Putback with Ian Begley” and said that he was “not familiar” with McAfee’s schtick.