New York Knicks bar Stout, a three-minute walk from Madison Square Garden, is preparing for one of its busiest nights of the year. Five hours before tip-off, staffers are double-checking reservations and feverishly cleaning while bartenders restock with mixers and supplies.

Cardboard cutouts of stars like Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns overlook the bar as the two-decade-old establishment gets ready to host a crowd that will push the three-story pub to its maximum capacity of about 700. The crew will pass out vodka-based blue and orange shots if the Knicks win.

The Knicks’ first conference finals appearance since 2000 has been a boon for businesses such as Stout at a moment they need the support. Shop owners around MSG said they are trying to navigate industry-wide headwinds stemming from declining sales and higher operating costs. NYC tourism is also experiencing a slump, as the city will welcome 400,000 fewer tourists than it did last year, according to The New York Times, as the nation grapples with rising geopolitical and trade tensions stemming from Trump administration policies.

The smaller profit margins this year have placed increased pressure on owners to make ends meet.

“Our business would be very different if the [Knicks] were sitting at home,” Ian Conroy, co-owner of Mustang Harry’s, said in an interview.

Conroy and his brother, Niall, have operated the popular sports bar on 7th Avenue for 30 years—and during that span, they have witnessed some serious lows for the Knicks, including a seven-season drought without a playoff berth. Conroy said this past month has been the peak of revenue for his sports pub so far this year. The Tipperary, Ireland, native wants to make the most of this historic run that coincides with an ongoing wave of economic uncertainty.

“People that are coming out will spend less [than before] but at least they’re coming out,” he said. “The fact that the Knicks are on a playoff run, people want to be around [other] fans buzzed. It’s definitely much better than if somebody else was in their place.”

After the Knicks eliminated the defending champion Celtics last week, thousands of fans took to the streets outside of MSG to celebrate. In some cases, fans were tossing bras, flipping over garbage cans, scaling street poles and standing on top of taxis.

The Knicks have helped to add to the foot traffic and enthusiasm around the area by rolling out official viewing parties outside of MSG for the first time, which are free to attend. While the official watch party for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers will be held inside Radio City Hall, with tickets costing $10 each, the organization has partnered with several local NYC bars for fans looking for that party atmosphere.

“While we don’t measure the economic impact of sports tourism specifically, we know that major moments like the Knicks’ exciting playoff run, drives foot traffic and spending—especially near MSG,” NYC Tourism and Conventions CEO Julie Coker said in an emailed statement. “It’s clear that New York City’s home teams are not just fueling hometown pride, they’re also contributing to the vibrancy of our visitor economy.”

It’s a timely contribution. A study conducted by the NYC Hospitality Alliance shows that 72% of establishments reported lower sales last summer (from June to August), with only 5% seeing a rise in business.

Alfredo Marty, general manager at Blarney Stone on 8th Avenue, said it would be “dead” if the Knicks hadn’t played in six home playoff games, with at least two more home games at MSG starting Wednesday night. Blarney Stone has had the same operators for 22 years and keeps its doors open late for thirsty fans who are looking to celebrate and down a cold brew after a Knicks win.

“Business has been horrible, but because of the Knicks, we do well,” Marty, a Dominican who has lived in New York for over 30 years, said. “They just need to keep winning.”

Meanwhile, the Knicks’ rush has also trickled over into local pizza shops. Pizza Suprema, which has been an MSG staple for more than 60 years, has reeled in about triple the amount of normal business on playoff game days, forcing it to bring in additional staff to accommodate the traffic.

Papi’s Pasta & Pizza on 7th Avenue has been relatively slow since the holiday rush after its grand opening back in early November. But Papi’s manager Axel Foley said they experienced a significant uptick in sales after the Knicks won Game 3 over the Celtics on May 10, at times running out of soda to sell to a bevy of Knicks fans who had come through their doors for the first time.

“We just can’t wait for them to play again,” he said.

It is fitting that as Knicks look for their first Finals appearance since 1999, they butt up against one of their main foes of the ’90s in the Pacers. For longtime business owners, the surge led by superstar guard Brunson is a welcome blast from the past.

“We definitely have a team that we can get behind,” Conrad said. “And they’re getting behind us too.”

The 2025 NBA conference finalists—the Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers—are an atypical group of contenders. Only one (the Thunder) is a No. 1 or No. 2 seed, and none have won an NBA championship since the 1970s.
 
They also have stars still in the process of building their profile. None of the 25 most-followed active NBA players on Instagram are on a team still in the postseason. Kyrie Irving (No. 4), Luka Dončić (No. 11) and Jayson Tatum (No. 19) all advanced this deep last season, and later rounds in the 2010s always featured mega-superstars like LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant.

This year, the most-followed star left in the final four is the Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards, whose 4.8 million followers rank 27th in the NBA. Right behind him are the Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns (4.3 million) and the Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (4.1 million), but nobody else in the league’s top 50 will take the court for the rest of this season. It’s not for a lack of trying, either, as Gilgeous-Alexander has carefully curated a feed to match his personality.
 
Alex Caruso, who started three games this year for Oklahoma City, has the fourth-most followers among players in the conference semifinals (1.3 million). Minnesota rookie Rob Dillingham, who hasn’t played a minute in the playoffs so far, has the sixth-most. 

But making the conference finals will have a major impact on players’ social media brands. In the 24 hours before his Game 1 against the Timberwolves, Gilgeous-Alexander gained more than 20,000 followers, the highest mark in the NBA. Eight of the top nine 24-hour gainers are still active in the postseason, with the exception being Tatum, who was recently eliminated.

The stars still alive in the playoffs are far from no-names, even as they search for broader reach. Social media following is just one indicator of marketability.

Among the NBA’s best-selling jerseys this season, Jalen Brunson ranked No. 5, Edwards ranked No. 7 and Gilgeous-Alexander ranked No. 9. Brunson also co-hosts a podcast with his Knicks teammates called the Roommates Show that boasts more than 200,000 Instagram followers of its own.

Edwards and Gilgeous-Alexander earned $20 million and $18 million, respectively, off the court in 2024, ranking fifth and sixth among NBA players on Sportico’shighest-paid athletes list.

The lack of Instagram stars remaining in the playoffs is, more than anything, a testament to the youth of the teams that won out in the early rounds. Pacers star point guard Tyrese Haliburton is just 25 years old, Gilgeous-Alexander is 26, Edwards is 23 and both of the Knicks’ All-Stars (Towns and Brunson) are still in their 20s.

Franchises that went all-in on two or three big-name, established players, such as the Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks, were less successful this postseason, with thin benches and injuries proving costly.