06/09/26 05:23:00
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06/09 17:22 CDT Knicks in 6: NY man's high school yearbook prediction 6 years
ago goes viral
Knicks in 6: NY man's high school yearbook prediction 6 years ago goes viral
By PHILIP MARCELO
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) --- If the New York Knicks win it all this year, just remember
that Evan Pfeufer called it six years ago, and has the receipts to prove it.
While his classmates dutifully listed their academic awards, extracurricular
activities and sport accolades in the high school yearbook, the Long Island
resident opted for just six simple words for his entry.
"Knicks in 6. 2026 NBA Finals," Pfeufer wrote next to his portrait in the 2020
Smithtown High School West yearbook.
The prescient prediction has gone viral after he shared photos on social media
in recent days. One Instagram post has more than 130,000 views.
The Knicks lead the San Antonio Spurs 2-1 in the best of seven series. They
dropped Game 3 Monday night with President Donald Trump making the first
appearance by a sitting president at an NBA championship game. The teams play
again Wednesday at Madison Square Garden.
Pfeufer, now 23 and in sales, said he wanted to use the yearbook to make a bold
declaration about his beloved Knicks, who he concedes were "terrible" at the
time. (The Knicks finished 2020-21 season with a record of 41-31.)
"I was at my good buddy's house and I said, ?Knicks, six, 2026'," he said. "It
rhymed so well that I just figured, all right, I'm gonna put that there."
"I could have said Knicks in 5, 2025, or Knicks in 7, 2027," he added. "I guess
I got the right year."
Pfeufer said he took some grief, particularly from his parents, for not using
the yearbook space to spotlight his school achievements, which included being a
member of the honor society.
"I kept it just as the quote because I thought that if it happened, it would
look way better than if I had a bunch of awards underneath," he says.
Pfeufer says his parents have since come around to his thinking.
"Now that it's happening the way it is, they said for the first time in their
lives, alright, you were right," he said.
Early in the playoffs, the lifelong Knicks fan said he swore off watching the
team's games because every time he tuned in, they lost. Since they've reached
the finals and his prediction is inching closer to reality, he's been watching
them at home with family.
Pfeufer believes the current squad has what it takes win the franchise's first
NBA title since 1973 --- even if it isn't in six games.
"I absolutely love that they play ethical basketball," he said. "It's team
basketball. Everyone knows their role and cares so deeply, and you can see it
whenever they play. They have heart."
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Follow Philip Marcelo at https://x.com/philmarcelo
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