Rapper Rob49's Jokes to Blame for Knicks' Playoff Loss to Pacers"

For one of the craziest and most-funny crossovers you've been at the intersection of hip-hop and hoops for some time, Rob49 wants it to be known that he's the main reason the New York Knicks stopped playing ball when they did after they went up against the Indiana Pacers in the playoffs. And even as he's laughing about it, listeners and internet sleuths are side-eyeing him like, "Wait a second..."

The New Orleans rhymer recently sat down with AllHipHop, and during the chat, he didn't have any problem accepted by the Knicks anyway. And, if you were to ask Rob, his infectious new single "WTHelly" may have lit a fire under Indiana star guard Tyrese Haliburton. Why? In the Broken title, Rob name-dropped Haliburton because. But it's not just him but thrown in LeBron James, Halle Berry, and a couple of other household names for good measure.

But Haliburton's name appears to have struck a nerve somehow, and unlike other times, the NBA's draft isn't immune from it even though it tries internally every year.

Since that track dropped, Haliburton's been playing like he owed it to the world to set it right. And while Knicks fans are all over-analyzing everything from mismanagement to injuries, Rob49's just over here dot-joining like a proper chaos agent. Was it a coincidence? Or was it Rob's shout-out that unleashed Haliburton's playoff mode?

"Yeah, that's on me," said Rob, half-jokingly, half-seriously. And honestly? Knicks fans just might be whispering about whether they believe him.

"WTHelly," produced by the endlessly animated Helluva, has wasted no time burning up the streams and gathering attention wherever it's been played. It's the kind of track you hear that makes you want to get your ass up, talk to somebody and bawl out in Game 7s. It was already going to be an anthem, but it got lore. It has NBA playoff ramifications but has power.

Rob49 was dropping bars but didn't set out to start the NBAlayoff conspiracy. But sometimes, that's all it takes in the capricious realm of sports and superstition. One name drop, one banger, one outburst of inspiration, and, well, see you in the Bahamas, Knicks.

So, Knicks fans, if you want someone to rage against beyond the usual suspects, maybe we should put Rob49 on the list. But if Haliburton shows up next season and drops lines from "WTHelly" in warm-ups, know that Rob warned us.