Pixar Apologizes to Knicks For Game 7 Loss

Pixar has taken responsibility for the New York Knicks' Game 7 heartbreaker against the Indiana Pacers.

May 10, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) catches the ball / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Knicks certainly didn't like the end to this toy story.

Following a 130-109 loss to the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Knicks are relegated to watchers of the NBA's final four for the 24th consecutive season, extending the league's third-longest active such streak.

Many will be quick to blame the Knicks' plethora of injuries for the elimination but Pixar Animation Studios fell on its CGI sword to take the fall.

May 19, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo (0) drives to the / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The lauded studio's 2020 effort "Soul," featuring the voices of Jamie Foxx and Tina Fey, took a cheap shot at the Knicks, one that could well applied to the team's cursed fortunes nearly four years later.

In the film, a mischievous unborn soul named 22 (voiced by Fey) introduces the recently-deceased soul of music teacher Joe Gardner (Foxx) to the literal concept of "the zone," the metaphorical place where artists enter a state of accomplishment and euphoria. As 22 messes with various artists, she directs Joe's attention to a basketball player about to hit a dunk and happily brags "I've been messing with this team for decades!" With 22 having interrupted his bliss, the player in question misses a dunk in the real world and an announcer (voiced by ESPN's Doris Burke, who ironically called Sunday's game for ABC, in an uncredited cameo) declares "And the Knicks lose another one!"

Pixar's official X account, responded to one user's observation that the clip "aged like fine wine," confirmed the allegations of 22's "involvement."

"We apologize to the Knicks for 22’s behavior last night," Pixar said.

we apologize to the knicks for 22’s behavior last night 🏀 https://t.co/U7bTDLAexc

— Pixar (@Pixar) May 20, 2024

At the time of "Soul"'s release, writer, co-director and Brookyn native Kemp Powers took responsibility for the joke, claiming it had a therapeutic purpose.

"I’m a diehard, lifelong Knicks fan," Powers, who also directed "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" siad. "Despite their enormous payroll, the last time they won a championship was 1973. The year I was BORN. I think I earned the right to make that joke."

The intervention of 22 proved particularly painful this time around: one win away from the conference finals, New York was the closest it has been to a championship since 2000, which saw them fall, ironically enough, to the Pacers.

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