NEW YORK, June 11 — Pop diva Taylor Swift was courtside at Madison Square Garden to cheer on the New York Knicks in game four of the NBA Finals yesterday.

The 14-time Grammy award-winner, sporting a blue and orange Knicks T-shirt with the slogan “Stevie Knicks,” upped the already considerable star power as she joined longtime Knicks fans like film director Spike Lee and actor Ben Stiller in the crowd.

The appearance came a day after her surprise performance in Los Angeles at the world premiere of the movie Toy Story 5, for which she wrote a song.

And it came at the same iconic arena where it’s rumoured her wedding to NFL player Travis Kelce will take place next month.

The Knicks’ bid for a first NBA title since 1973 — against a young Spurs team featuring French phenomenon Victor Wembanyama — has galvanised New York and captured the attention of sports fans across the United States.

The Knicks’ victories in the first two games in San Antonio fueled feverish excitement among their fans.

The Spurs clawed back a game on Monday at Madison Square Garden — where US President Donald Trump was roundly booed as he attended the last game as a guest of Knicks owner James Dolan.

That game was the most-watched NBA Finals game three since 1998, the year of icon Michael Jordan’s last Finals, according to figures released by the Nielsen media research company.

The game averaged 23.8 million viewers and peaked at 26.3 million late in the fourth quarter, Nielsen said yesterday.

That’s the largest television audience since Super Bowl 60 on February 8.

Swift isn’t a new Knicks fan. Born in neighbouring Pennsylvania, she has attended other Knicks games since moving to New York in 2014.

Three weeks ago, she and Kelce attended a Knicks playoff game against the Cavaliers in Cleveland — a win for the Knicks to the frustration of Ohio-born Kelce. — AFP