ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst has shed some light on a now-viral video of his interactions with New York Knicks fans after the second-round of the playoffs.

Windhorst predicted that the Boston Celtics would eliminate the Knicks in the second round of the playoffs – only for the Knicks to pull out an upset in Game 6 of that series. 

After the elimination was confirmed at Madison Square Garden, Windhorst was recorded walking out of the arena by fans who pretended to ‘interview’ the ESPN star.

However, as Windhorst revealed on the Barstool Sports podcast ‘Pardon My Take’, that interaction turned much more sinister.

‘Those were not Knicks fans. Those were hooligans,’ Windhorst told the program.

‘Knicks fans were not a block away from the Garden at 12:30 in the morning. Knicks fans were off celebrating with themselves … the truth is, that there is other footage that apparently is not going to become unearthed where hands were put on me.’

WARNING: VIDEO BELOW CONTAINS EXPLICIT LANGUAGE 

Brian Windhorst just got cooked 💀@mirthee1st pic.twitter.com/MlXKEtW2j7

— Big Knick Energy (@BigKnickEnergy_) May 17, 2025

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said Knicks fans put hands on him after eliminating the Celtics

Video recorded after the game showed Windhorst being ‘interviewed’ by aggressive fans

The Knicks have been hosting watch parties outside MSG and elsewhere throughout the city

Watch parties outside of MSG have become hubs for fans who can’t watch the games inside. Thousands have packed into plazas near the arena to see the game on giant screens. 

‘Nothing serious happened. People put their hands on me and I had to shove their hands off and I basically jaywalked across 35th Street to get away,’ Windhorst revealed.

He continued: ‘I was never in serious danger. But it was not a pleasant experience at 12:35 in the morning. Those were not Knicks fans. 

‘Those were not the same people that I saw two hours earlier, enjoying one of the great moments in the Garden of most of their lives. So, I don’t equate the two things.’

Windhorst spent plenty of time inside the Garden after the game to record a podcast he co-hosts with Tim Bontemps.

He joked to his co-host, ‘How long are we going to have to be in here until we can safely go outside?’ 

Incidents have turned violent in the Knicks’ Eastern Conference Finals series as well. At a bar in Indianapolis, a Pacers fan reportedly stabbed two Knicks fans. 

New York could be eliminated at home on Thursday night as the Pacers took a commanding 3-1 lead in the series on Tuesday.