Ahead of Game 2 of the NBA Finals last Friday, a midlevel associate at a global law firm received a surprising email. It was from his partner, who wanted him to know an assignment could wait until the next day. 

“‘This doesn’t need to be done tonight, enjoy the game,’” the private-equity attorney—who wished to remain anonymous—recalls the message saying. “We barely see that kind of leniency for federal holidays. … It’s gotten to the point where [coworkers and I] are sending emails back and forth just to make sure our WiFi is working.” 

As the Knicks vie for their first NBA title since 1973, law and finance professionals tell Front Office Sports that the historic playoff run has provided some rare moments of relief from New York’s famously relentless work culture.

Throughout the postseason—which began for the Knicks on April 18—sources say their inboxes have gotten leaner and some requests have less urgency.

The change isn’t because business has slowed; it’s because the executives, partners, and clients who dictate the pace of New York’s professional class are just as consumed by the possibility of a Knicks championship as everyone else. 

“Deal activity has stayed strong for us even during the Knicks’ incredible playoff run. However, texts and emails don’t get returned as quickly during the games, and almost no one calls,” says Charles Baker, co-chair of the entertainment, sports, and media group at Sidley Austin LLP, another global law firm. 

Deal flow hasn’t stopped for financial firms, either. But according to Stan Gregor, CEO of wealth-management firm Summit Financial, the Knicks’ run has shifted the “cadence and tone” of business interactions. Things are “more relaxed, more human,” he says, thanks to the “shared point of connection” that is the team’s success.

“At the end of the day, moments like this remind you that business doesn’t operate in a vacuum,” Gregor adds. “Culture drives attention, and attention drives relationships, and that’s ultimately what this business is built on.”

Alongside celebrities, top business brass are among the few who can actually afford the record-breaking get-in prices at Madison Square Garden. (Baker says he will be attending Game 4 with a client.) With bosses in corporate luxury suites, junior staff are free to tune in to Knicks games with less imperative to check their work devices—a luxury.  

“I remember during the Yankees’ 2024 World Series, I would go to bars to watch the games and still feel like I needed to have my laptop out and be working a little bit,” says the anonymous attorney. “Now, it’s almost like I can leave my computer at home.”

Sean Keogan, owner of corporate-after-hours destination Daltons, says his Hell’s Kitchen bar has consistently been rammed several hours before the start of each Knicks playoff game. “No office work is being done,” he says. “It’s all about the Knicks.” 

A spokesperson for Delmonico’s, a fine-dining restaurant in the Financial District, tells FOS it has seen a marked increase in demand for private dining rooms over the last month—often from corporate groups looking to watch games together.

The Knicks haven’t appeared in the NBA Finals since 1999, so the rarity of the moment has turned games into one of the few occasions capable of overriding the always-on expectation for New York’s dealmakers.

If the team can finish the job this time around, New York might not be eager to return to business—at least not so fast. “I can see a lot of offices hosting celebrations or letting employees step out to take in the championship parade,” says the attorney. “But if we lose, it’s just going to be back to work.” 

Knicks fans have been taking to the New York City streets to celebrate the team’s success during this year’s NBA Finals run. At the same time, Kalshi and Polymarket are trying to capitalize on the momentum, turning the internet culture they cultivate into real-world, viral marketing moments.

The prediction-market rivals, both valued in the multibillions, have used shitposting tactics to generate attention online, from posting AI-generated images of sports stars with salacious headlines to paying influencers known for spreading fake news to promote their platforms.

As crowds gathered outside Madison Square Garden, two viral fan moments drew scrutiny after it emerged both had prediction-market ties.

Kalshi has taken heat over a clip after Game 1, when 23-year-old Knicks fan MD Ahnaf Hossain spoke into a Kalshi-branded microphone, saying, “My mayor Muslim, my bagels Jewish. My Christian Dior — Knicks in four!” The clip, amplified by a Kalshi-affiliated social media account, has drawn tens of millions of views and coverage in outlets including The Washington Post and The New York Times.

Kalshi later posted a follow-up interview with Hossain, who said he was drawn to the “iconic green mic.” The moment has drawn sharp scrutiny, including some who claim Hossain should admit he wasn’t the first to utter the phrase.

“Organic” Marketing Stunt

Kalshi says the original moment was a stroke of good luck. The company has been sending videographers—and a robot donned in a Kalshi-sponsored Knicks jersey called BingBot—to capture the celebration scene. 

Kalshi connected with Hossain after he commented on one of the posts of his clip that went viral and they coordinated to film the second video. As part of the second stunt, Kalshi gifted Hossain an actual Dior scarf.

“It was smart marketing on our part, but it was also organic,” Kalshi spokesperson Dani Lever tells Front Office Sports. “We didn’t go find him and say, ‘Hey, come talk into this mic.’ He found us and then we connected to make the second video.”

Lever says Kalshi isn’t fazed by online critics; the company is enjoying the Knicks’ success the same way fans are. “Everybody has this energy in New York right now,” she says. “We’re really proud to be a New York company.”

Polymarket Makes a Deal

Separately, 22-year-old Knicks fan Jake Epstein set out to see if he could say “Jalen Brunson” 100,000 times while livestreaming outside of MSG on Sunday, ahead of Monday’s Game 3. 

“I remember going to games when we had 17 wins, but the Garden would still shake when we were up by 20,” he tells FOS. “Now that we’re in the Finals, I just wanted to do something fun and peaceful.”

Epstein wore a tuxedo and livestreamed his stunt, which turned out to be more challenging than he expected thanks to rain, 85-degree heat, and the need to keep charging his laptop. “I didn’t even know if I could do it,” he says. “There were so many times I wanted to quit.”

Eventually the internet found Polymarket had gotten involved. “Annnnnnd prediction markets ruined it,” a senior social media editor for the outlet Semafor posted.

Epstein says Polymarket was not involved in the planning of his stunt. “They came up to me around the 94,000 mark and said they loved what I was doing, that they’re a company born in New York City, and their founder is from here,” he tells FOS. “They asked if I had any other ideas and how they could be helpful.” 

He says he and Polymarket were planning another stunt for Wednesday for Game 4. The idea was a Jalen Brunson “lookalike contest,” Epstein says, where one fan would win a ticket to an upcoming Finals game. However, a few hours after the initial interview, Epstein told FOS that the exhaustion of his original stunt—it took him almost 12 hours to say Jalen Brunson 100,000 times—had gotten to him; he wasn’t feeling well and had to call off Wednesday’s contest. 

“It took a harder toll on my body than I expected,” he says.

Polymarket declined to comment. A person familiar with the matter says the company did begin a sponsored deal with Epstein “after noticing his high engagement on streaming platforms.” Epstein still hopes to figure out something he can do with the company as the series continues. While he won’t be putting up thousands of dollars to attend a game at MSG, he might just show up in San Antonio, where he says he has “a lot of family.”

Epstein says the “only consolation” of the Knicks losing the game after his stunt is that New York now has a chance to close out the series in San Antonio.

“In 1999, the Spurs won on our court, so I think it would be poetic justice, especially for Patrick Ewing, who was injured and didn’t get to play in that series, if the Knicks won this series on their court,” he tells FOS.