The New York Knicks, led by Josh Hart and the returning Jalen Brunson, defeated the Orlando Magic, 98-74, at MSG on Friday night.
The defensive performance was the best by a Knicks team since 2012 and the 74 points surrendered were the lowest by an NBA team this season. The victory also snapped a five-game winning streak for the Magic and thrust New York back into the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference.
There was plenty of motivation for the Knicks to come out strong in that key contest but none more than avoiding the Magic’s social media team, Hart told reporters after the game.
Josh Hart says it was important for the Knicks to win tonight so he wouldn't see the Magic post a TikTok with the dancing cows 😂
Stay tuned for Josh's rendition of the Orlando Magic song 🎤 pic.twitter.com/EFHfWSPo9M
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) March 9, 2024
“It was so important because I didn’t want to see Orlando Magic put us on TikTok with their song with some cows dancing, which is a banger,” Hart said with a laugh. “No, but obviously we knew it was gonna be a big game. . . We had to come out with confidence and energy. Remembering to play our brand of basketball.”
But Hart still had Orlando’s catchy jingle in mind.
“It was good for us to go out there and have a game to build confidence and not hear, ‘Orlando Magic, Orlando Magic.’ Boy, that’s a banger! Whoever made that song is really going places,” Hart added.
The song Hart referenced is a remix created by Ayo The Producer. The lyrics are simple — “Orlando Magic! Orlando Magic! — and the team’s social media department regularly pairs it with a viral meme when they defeat an opponent.
OH OH OHHHHHH https://t.co/3Pj99NF5oR pic.twitter.com/hbSVXmIRow
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) March 6, 2024
Hart isn’t wrong… That tune is quite catchy but only when you’re not on the losing end of things. And on Friday night, the Knicks weren’t.
