Claims that Taylor Swift has 'cursed' the NBA Playoffs are only growing after the Miami Heat won Game Two of the Finals to level the series against the Denver Nuggets at 1-1.
The 12-time Grammy award-winning artist has been touring the United States since mid-March. Since then, several of her concerts have been held in NBA markets that have fallen short during the postseason.
On 17/18 March, Swift started her tour at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, home of the Arizona Cardinals and some 12 miles west of where the Phoenix Suns play their games at Footprint Center. Less than two months later, the much-fancied Suns, featuring one Kevin Durant, lost to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals.
Out East, the Philadelphia 76ers faltered at Wells Fargo Center against the Boston Celtics in Game Seven as Swift performed across the city at the Linc, the place the Philadelphia Eagles call home. But the Celtics did not fair nearly as well when the singer-songwriter followed them back to Massachusetts.
Swift was in Beantown as the Cs lost their opening games against the Miami Heat. While they did rally from a 3-0 deficit, they contrived to lose a Game Seven at TD Garden in the aftermath of the Eras Tour leaving Foxborough.
Both the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks ' seasons had already ended before she played six miles outside the Big Apple in East Rutherford late last month.
Swift will also play shows in Santa Clara and LA later this summer, following the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers seeing their championship hopes dashed despite promising starts to the postseason. And the 'cursing' of Western Conference franchises may not be over yet.
Next month, the Eras Tour will roll into the Mile High City for two nights. Whether Denver can overcome the Heat and the 'curse' is still to be decided, but dropping Game Two at home after looking dominant in the series opener is not a strong start for the Finals favourites.
Miami have one huge advantage as the series heads to South Florida. Swift is not playing in their city this year.
Tampa's Raymond James Stadium is the closest that the Eras Tour comes to South Beach, over 200 miles away. Heat Culture combing with the curse could be an insurmountable challenge for the Nuggets to overcome.
Perhaps the key to it all is Miami's star forward Jimmy Butler being a big Swiftie. The six-time all-star has made his love for country music known over the years and name-checked Swift while discussing his music taste back in March.
“I get my own playlist in warmups sometimes,” Butler told NBC Sports. “My teammates don’t like it very much because it’s country music, but they get over it. I like Taylor Swift. I like music as a whole, but her music is kinda catchy."
