New York Knicks

The Knicks had an extra hand in their thrilling Game 1 matchup with the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals on Wednesday ... but unfortunately for the home team, Jon Hamm's assist couldn't help them to victory.

The "Mad Men" actor had courtside seats for the contest at Madison Square Garden ... but Hamm apparently wasn't satisfied with sitting back and observing -- 'cause in the second quarter, he took matters into his own hands when the rock came flying in his direction.

Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton seemingly felt like he could've saved the ball to keep it in play ... and rushed to Hamm's section in hopes of deflecting it back onto the court.

Karl-Anthony Towns set the internet ablaze Sunday night when he was spotted at Yankee Stadium rocking a shirt that threw shade at the Boston Celtics ... and the man who gave birth to the iconic meme behind it is still in shock over the whole thing!!

TMZ Sports caught up with Jason Dantona to get his reaction to the viral moment from the final game of the Subway series ... and he told us he initially thought he was getting trolled when he was first notified of KAT's wardrobe choice.

"I thought they were messing with me," he said. "I had known the shirt was released a couple of weeks ago before we knew that we were playing the Celtics, but I didn't really expect any of the players to wear it on them."

Slide over Jack Nicholson and hang back a bit, Flea ... cause there is a new breed of young famous faces taking over the courtside seats at all the must-see NBA games this season.

Timothee Chalamet is taking center stage as the new Knicks hype man ... while a revolving door of Hollywood Gen Z are high key taking the reins to all the latest Lakers games.

It's not just the cool East Coast / West Coast teams that are getting hit by all the young and pretty people ... other big cities like Atlanta and even Salt Lake City are getting their fair share of hotties.

Fans went wild after the Knicks upset the Celtics in the star-studded Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals -- and nearly pulled Timothée Chalamet out of his car!

Check out the vid ... thousands of fans took to the streets of NYC after the big win and a few lucky ones caught a glimpse of the equally thrilled actor. He took a few moments to celebrate -- and ended up in a passionate hug that appeared more like a headlock as he hung out his car window.

The "Dune" star was just one of the famous faces who showed up for the big game. Our gallery shows TC locked in on the game while sitting next to Bad Bunny ... while Pete Davidson and his girlfriend Elsie Hewitt -- who are now living together -- flashed a smile at the camera.

Folks are dropping serious coin to be at Game 6 of the New York Knicks' series against the Boston Celtics -- TMZ Sports is told one fan paid a whopping $20,000 for one seat at Madison Square Garden for the huge playoff matchup!!

Our friends at popular ticket platform SeatGeek gave us an inside look at the demand for Friday's contest ... and despite everything going on in the Big Apple, it's clear what's at the top of everyone's list.

"The anticipation for Game Six at Madison Square Garden is at an all-time high with demand reaching record levels, making it the most sought-after ticket in New York right now," Chris Leyden, SeatGeek's Director of Category Marketing, told us.

If Diddy needs a couple hours to take his mind off his ongoing criminal trial, he will be allowed to watch the Knicks' pivotal playoff game Friday night, TMZ Sports has learned.

A spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Prisons tells us ... Diddy will have access to a television with basic cable after he heads back to MDC Brooklyn following the conclusion of Friday's court proceedings.

It's, of course, unclear if the 55-year-old will tune in -- he's obviously got a lot bigger things on his mind at the moment -- but he was known to be a Knicks supporter during his time as a free man.

Former Knicks star Chris Childs isn't ready to name Kylie Jenner New York's good-luck charm just yet ... but good news for Timothee Chalamet's girlfriend -- there's a game later Friday that could just sway his mind!!

Jenner, of course, has been spotted alongside her man at Madison Square Garden throughout New York's postseason run this year ... and because the Knicks seemingly win every time she locks in, some have taken to social media to wonder if her KarJenner magic is helping the orange and blue.

Childs, though, wasn't quite on board with that theory just yet ... explaining he's still giving credit to the players on the floor -- for now.

Jaylen Brown grabbed more than just rebounds last night ... he got a handful of Josh Hart's junk, and the Knicks star's wife wasn't a fan of grab, calling it "weird."

The bizarre incident happened during game five of the Eastern Conference Semifinals in Boston. Hart set a screen on the Celtics star, and whether intentionally or not, Brown's hand found its way to Hart's privates, which he then appeared to grab.

Josh wasn't a fan of the cup-check ... shoving Brown away from him, which led to a technical foul being issued to both players.

Kylie Jenner and Timothee Chalamet were in basketball mode Monday night, showing up at the Knicks-Celtics matchup in NYC — with Kylie's sister, Kendall, in tow.

The trio sat courtside watching the Knicks do battle with the Celtics during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals series at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan. And what a game it was with the Knicks beating the Celtics 121-113, which made Timothee's night.

During each quarter, the actor - who's also a Knicks superfan — was all about rooting on his team, jumping out of his seat at one point and clapping wildly after a Knicks player sank a basket.

Cardi B and Stefon Diggs looked cute and coupley while making their first official public appearance together amid dating rumors ... strolling up to Monday's Knicks vs. Celtics game at New York City's Madison Square Garden hand in hand.

They looked just as smitten inside the famous venue -- the "Wap" hitmaker at one point placed a hand on her rumored beau's thigh ... and was later photographed sweetly caressing his face.

In another pic, Stefon looked cool and confident with his arm wrapped around Cardi ... possibly confirming what fans have been speculating for months -- that she's all his.

The Celtics and Knicks series is shaping up to be an exciting one -- and, it brought out some of the biggest stars in the world to Madison Square Garden.

Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals took place Saturday in New York City ... and, Timothée Chalamet made his presence felt at the arena -- appearing at the game just days after making his red carpet debut with Kylie Jenner in Rome.

Chalamet sat courtside ... blue knicks jacket on -- eyes glued to the action. No Kylie this time, though she has attended basketball games with him in the past.

The Catholic Church has a new Pope, and not only is Leo XIV the first American to occupy the position, he's also a Villanova alum ... and one former star hooper is hoping the Holy Father can find some time to return to campus for a basketball game!

TMZ Sports spoke with NCAA Tourney hero Kris Jenkins shortly after conclave ended ... and we asked him about the Pope's Nova roots.

"These East Lancaster bullies have been creeping out a lot these past couple days," Kris said. "They've been showing sightings in Boston, Massachusetts. Now we're making our way to the head of the Catholic Church."

The Knicks have inspired belief and confidence in their fanbase after going up 2-0 on the Celtics ... but legendary film director and diehard backer Spike Lee believes there’s a more divine reason the New York fans can expect a title this season -- the new Pope!!

Apparently, Spike is all about Leo XIV because Robert Francis Prevost is a Villanova grad. Villanova -- the only Augustinian Catholic university in the United States -- is also the alma mater of three Knicks: Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges.

If you ask Spike -- a regular at Knicks games -- the 'Nova connection is a sign from God his squad is going to win it all this season.

Paul Pierce really IS the "Truth" -- 'cause the Celtics legend kept his word and started an eight-hour trek to the Fox lot after guaranteeing his old team would beat the Knicks on Wednesday ... and he's documenting the whole journey.

Pierce talked a big game prior to Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals ... saying if the Cs didn't even things up at 1-1, he'd use his legs as transportation to get to work the next day.

"If the Celtics lose Game two at home, I'm walking here tomorrow," Pierce said on "Speak."

"Fifteen miles! I'm walking here! In my robe, no shoes on, barefoot, if the Celtics lose tonight."

The Celtics vs. Knicks action wasn't just limited to inside TD Garden on Wednesday night ... some of their fans got into a wild brawl outside the venue as well -- and a good portion of the scrap was captured on video.

Check it out ... just after New York stunned Boston with another come-from-behind road win, several people clad in blue and orange mixed it up with some C's backers.

A man in a Paul Pierce jersey appeared to get the better of one Knicks fan -- bloodying him with a flurry of punches. Nearby, a Jalen Brunson supporter clearly had his hands full with his rival too.

Timothée Chalamet had a pretty good reason to let Kylie Jenner fly solo at the Met Gala ... his NBA team was playing an important playoff game, and he had to watch!!!

The actor, who is a big Knicks fan, was nowhere to be found at Monday's Met Gala in New York City ... instead, he was tuning in to watch the Knicks play the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of their series.

Timothée may have made the right call here ... the Knicks won in thrilling fashion, storming back from a 20-point deficit to shock the defending-champion Celtics in overtime, 108-105, to steal home court advantage in the best-of-7 series.