Before the No. 3 seed New York Knicks tipped off their playoff campaign against the No. 6 Detroit Pistons in April, guard Josh Hart had already cracked the code—or at least, he thought he had. On his Roommates Show podcast, co-hosted with Knicks star Jalen Brunson and entrepreneur Matt Hillman, Hart jokingly unveiled a game-day “cheat code” for one of their most crucial pieces: OG Anunoby. His theory? If the Knicks wanted to unlock peak OG, they needed two very specific fans in the building. “We need Suni or Anne Hathaway at every game during this playoff run,” he said. It was more than just playful superstition. There was evidence, though. 

On April 6, OG lit up Madison Square Garden with a season-high 32 points in a commanding 112–98 win over the Phoenix Suns. Who was courtside that night? Suni Lee. Fans quickly linked the dots, crediting the gymnast’s presence as the spark behind OG’s outburst. Fast forward to May 21, the stakes were even higher now — Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Tension hung thick in the air at Madison Square Garden.

And then, just like a whispered promise of fate, there she was again — Suni Lee, seated courtside, this time next to model and socialite Jordyn Woods. Meanwhile, the X-handle of the New York Post Sports celebrated the moment by attaching the clip featuring the announcement of Suni Lee’s attendance at MSG. Caption? “Olympic gold medalist Suni Lee is in the house for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. OG Anunoby always seems to play well when she’s in the building.”

Hope ignited. Fans erupted online. “Suni Lee sitting next to Jordyn, I just fell to my knees,” one user wrote on X, summing up the collective gasp of Knicks Nation. It felt like the stars were aligning. But sometimes, even the stars can’t bend reality. Despite the buzz and the blessing from Suni’s courtside energy, OG Anunoby didn’t rise to the occasion this time. His shooting struggled to find rhythm, and the Knicks couldn’t fully ride the wave of magic they’d hoped for. Still, fans didn’t waver. They thanked Suni for showing up, believing her presence was part of the Knicks’ pulse, a symbol of their fighting spirit. At that moment, it felt like magic was in the air. The Knicks were rolling, building a lead despite OG Anunoby’s quiet night. Maybe, just maybe, the Suni Spark was real. But basketball, like fate, is fickle.

When the final buzzer rang out, the Garden fell into stunned silence. The Knicks had collapsed late, coughing up their lead and falling short in a Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals heartbreaker. Final score: Pacers 138, Knicks 135. And the heartbreak had a face.

With 7.1 seconds left on the clock, OG Anunoby stepped to the free-throw line. The Knicks were up by two points. All he needed was to sink both, and the game might’ve been sealed. But he missed. Both. What followed was a dagger straight to the heart of New York: Tyrese Haliburton’s buzzer-beating three. The kind of shot that silences an entire city. The kind that echoes long after the ball stops bouncing.

OG ended the night with 16 points and 2 assists, a stat line that felt hollow under the weight of missed moments. And just like that, the narrative shifted. What once felt like a blessing turned into a lightning rod. However, Knicks fans — raw, emotional, and looking for something to blame — turned their attention to Suni Lee. The same courtside presence they’d once called their good luck charm was suddenly being ridiculed as a bad omen. Memes flew, jokes cut deep, and disbelief turned into scapegoating.

Knicks Nation remained critical of Suni Lee’s presence in the arena 

At tip-off, the energy inside Madison Square Garden was almost mystical. The Knicks were hosting the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, and fans were looking for signs — any signs — that the stars were aligning. And then it happened. The crowd took notice, and so did the internet. “Suni Lee there? OG Anunoby game winner incoming,” one hopeful fan typed into the comment box just before the game began. Another echoed that same faith: “OG Poster in front of Suni.” The vibe was electric. After all, the last time Suni was spotted courtside — back on April 6 — OG had gone off for 32 points in a dominant win against the Phoenix Suns. Why not again? But not every memory was so golden.

Some fans couldn’t forget April 21, Game 2 against the Pistons, when Suni had also taken her spot in celebrity row — only to watch the Knicks fall 100–94 in one of their flattest outings of the postseason. This time, sadly, it played out closer to that nightmare than the dream. The fairytale was over. And the fans? They turned.

“Suni Lee courtside and that m* OG still played like s—,” one bitter fan snapped on X. “Gimmick might be over.” The backlash was swift and merciless. “We lose more games when suni lee is in the building.. ban her!” demanded one angry Knicks diehard. Another fumed, “What a f—— game, ban Suni Lee from all Knicks games going forward.” It was harsh. Unfair. But this is New York. The passion runs deep — and so does the pain.

In the heat of heartbreak, the once-beloved “lucky charm” suddenly became the scapegoat. And OG Anunoby? There was no hiding. His 16 points and 2 assists, paired with those devastating free-throw misses, left fans unforgiving. The aura had cracked. The myth had melted under Madison Square’s lights. What started as a night of hope ended in disbelief — not just for OG, not just for the Knicks, but for Suni Lee, too. Because in sports, the line between magic and mirage is razor thin.