The New York Knicks are up 3-0 on the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals, and Game 3 in Cleveland had plenty to talk about on the court. But off it, the broadcast handed fans something they could not stop talking about.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce were courtside at Rocket Arena, and according to Awful Announcing, the ESPN on ABC crew spotted them early in the first quarter and put them on camera right away. Mike Breen called Swift “his fiancée.” Richard Jefferson went with “his girlfriend.” Neither man said her name once.
It felt strange to fans, given that Swift is arguably more recognizable than Kelce at this point. She has been one of the biggest names in music for years, and her recent album only added to that.
Fans React to Mike Breen and Richard Jefferson Not Saying Taylor Swift’s Name
ESPN Accused of Disrespecting Taylor Swift During Viral Knicks Game Moment
One fan questioned whether her name was off-limits on the network: “Is ‘Taylor swift’ a banned word on espn/ABC?”
One fan pointed out who the real celebrity was in that arena: “Acting like Travis is the biggest name in that building 💀”
One fan kept it short and direct: “shes the star there and they still lead with him”
One Swiftie summed it up bluntly: “Fragile men being scared of Taylor Swift lmaooo”
One fan questioned if it was a deliberate choice: “Was the phrasing intentional? She’s obviously a million times more famous than him.”
One fan offered a broader take: “Taylor Swift is such a mega legend that it doesn’t matter to her or her fans. But of course it’s quite obvious what they were doing…”
Another fan had one final thing to add: “Stop being a fragile man. Taylor won’t take ur lil games from you LMAOO.”
Calling her “his fiancée” the whole time felt like a deliberate decision to fans.
Knicks vs Cavaliers Game 3 Recap: New York Takes 3-0 Series Lead
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs attend Game 3 between the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
No matter what the situation was courtside, the Knicks were on top of their game on the floor. New York secured a Game 3 victory with a score of 121-108. They have a very comfortable lead of 3-0 in the best-of-seven series.
Jalen Brunson was the main player with 30 points, he was 10-of-19 from the field and making 10 of his 12 free throws. He played the whole game in an attacking manner, drawing fouls and making Cleveland pay for each one.
Mikal Bridges was just as good, scoring 22 points on a very efficient 11-of-15 shooting as well as making three steals and two blocks.
OG Anunoby contributed 21 points and was perfect from the free-throw line, so the Knicks had three players with more than 20 points.
Karl-Anthony Towns added 13 points and tossed out seven assists and also made three steals while dominating the game from the center spot.
For the Cavaliers, Evan Mobley was the leading scorer with 24 points and Donovan Mitchell scored 23, but the team committed 18 turnovers and the Knicks scored 19 points off of those turnovers, which was the main difference.
New York is at the moment just a win away from reaching the NBA Finals. Game 4 will be played in Cleveland, where the Cavaliers will be trying to avoid the sweep.
Taking into account that the Knicks have appeared to be the better side in the whole series so far, there is no indication, from Game 3, that this situation will change in the near future.
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