Footage has emerged of New York Knicks fans attacking a rival Indiana Pacers supporter with a trash bag and chasing him down the street following their historic playoff win over the Boston Celtics.
The Knicks are set to face the Pacers in their first NBA Conference Finals appearance for 25 years after destroying former champions the Celtics 118-91 on Friday night.
Thousands of joyous New Yorkers took to the streets to celebrate that incredible feat, with celebrity fan Timothee Chalamet even joining the party at one stage.
Yet in an unsavory moment on an otherwise proud night for the city, a Pacers supporter wearing a Tyrese Haliburton jersey was swarmed by Knicks rivals and even hit on the head with two trash bags.
A video circulating on social media shows the man walking out of a huge crowd of buoyant New York fans with a wry smile on his face before the first trash bag flies onto the top of his head.
As he turns around in confusion, he is then smacked with another as the smile quickly disappears.
Footage has emerged of New York Knicks fans attacking a rival Indiana Pacers supporter
The Knicks faithful threw bags of trash at the Pacers fan before chasing him down the street
The Pacers fan then holds his arms out to call for the torment to stop, only for another trash bag to be thrown his way.
A large group of New York faithfuls then follow him down the street as he tries to walk away, one of whom is recording the ugly incident on his phone.
And social media has been left appalled by the sight of boisterous Knicks fans targeting a rival supporter so cruelly.
‘Knicks fans really let their emotions get the best of them,’ said one user.
Another commented: ‘Bad look Knick fans’.
‘Yikes, worst fans in the league,’ wrote a third.
While one simply concluded: ‘I hope they lose badly to the pacers.’
Midtown Manhattan turned into glorious mayhem for Knicks fans after they cruised past the Celtics to set up a showdown with the Pacers, shutting down two major streets to celebrate reaching the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000
Hollywood actor Chalamet somehow made his way through the monsoon of traffic getting out of the Madison Square Garden area after taking in the festivities from his courtside seat.
It was an ugly moment on an otherwise historic night after their win over the Boston Celtics
Seventh Avenue outside Madison Square Garden was a mob scene of joyful Knicks fans
Thousands of the Knicks’ faithful were seen flooding the intersection of 33rd Street and Seventh Avenue, nearby Penn Station and only a few blocks from the Empire State Building.
One fan also somehow found his way to the top of a huge billboard in one of the most tourist-driven areas of the country amid the crazy scenes.
How he got up and down from the billboard is unclear, unlike a few other New Yorkers who decided to climb street lamps and traffic lights.
One Knicks fan was also seen riding a guardrail and staying on top surfing through the conglomeration of Knicks supporters.
