Anti-Hero: Is Taylor Swift why the Sixers were knocked out of the playoffs?

The pop star will probably say, ‘Don’t Blame Me,’ but just look what she made them do...

Did Taylor Swift curse the Sixers by bringing her Eras Tour to Philly during their series against the Celtics?Read moreElizabeth Robertson, Yong Kim / Staff

Published June 5, 2023, 2:50 p.m. ET

What if I told you the real reason the Sixers lost to Boston Celtics in the second round of the NBA playoffs wasn’t because of Joel Embiid’s knee injury, James Harden’s erratic play, or even recently out of work Doc Rivers’ poor coaching? What if I told you there is someone else to blame? And what if I told you that someone is Taylor Swift?

The T-Swift Universe is expansive, and in that universe it feels like she and her hoard of fans can move mountains — or at least influence elections — with a single post. So would it be that unbelievable that the Reading, Pa. native could alter the course of the NBA playoffs as well? It seems like a stretch, but after Sunday night’s NBA Finals game between the Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets, it’s getting harder and harder to dismiss.

The theory, which started on Reddit and has since moved over to TikTok, goes a little something like this: If Swift’s Eras Tour is playing in your area, your city’s NBA is about to go down. So far, Swift’s victims include the Hawks, Sixers, and Celtics — and Denver could be next up if this internet conspiracy theory continues to play out like this.

Two weeks ago while the Miami-Boston series was still going on, Reddit user “Mattmo831″ posted a summary of the NBA playoffs to that point, and highlighted that in each of first two Eastern Conference series — and even in the Atlanta-Miami play-in game — there was something happening that seemed like it might be a bit more than a coincidence.

“Two things are happening right now at the same exact time,” Mattmo831 wrote. “The NBA Playoff’s and Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour. But what some people don’t know, is Taylor has been choosing the loser of each round of the eastern conference matchups to play in their city while their team goes up in flames and loses.”

He then went on to point out that in the first round series between Atlanta and Boston, Swift played three shows in Atlanta immediately following Boston’s victory. Then, during the Celtics’ next round against the Sixers, Swift played three Philly shows during that series, including one on the same day that Boston eliminated them in Game 7.

Just to prove that this wasn’t a pro-Boston curse, Swift then dispatched the Celtics when her tour arrived in Boston during their series against Miami, a series that Miami won in seven games after taking a 3-0 lead during The Eras Tour’s stop at Gillette Stadium.

“What’s happening here? Coincidence? I think not,” Mattmo831 added. “Players must be staying up past their curfew to bring their wives, girlfriends, kids, or whatever. Or Taylor is placing a curse on the city while she’s in town. Who knows.”

Now that the Eastern Conference portion of the postseason is over, Swift has her sights focused on the NBA Finals.

According to TikTok user @popbaseculture, the curse will continue. While the pop star doesn’t have a show scheduled in Denver until mid-July, she doesn’t have a Miami show planned on The Eras Tour — at all.

The Heat evened the series on Sunday night at a game apiece as the series shifts to Miami. Does this mean she’s blessed Miami by clearing a championship passed? Some veterans of NBA Twitter may remember the days of rapper Lil’ B blessing your team all the way to a title. Now, it appears, Taylor’s version has taken over.