The show must go on.
During the Knicks' 125-101 victory over the Hornets at Madison Square Garden on Thursday, the national anthem singer paused to glare at jeering fans and finished the song with a bang, much to the delight of star center Karl-Anthony Towns.
The singer is Who is called Liseri?had just sang “…And the Bright Stars, Through the…” the rogue fans announced their presence by shouting unintelligible sounds over the MSG broadcast.
Riccelli, wearing the Knicks' No. 24 blue jersey, stopped and turned his head to the right, looking in the direction of the interruption.
Then she continued as the crowd rallied around her. Towns was all smiles as the crowd cheered.
Immediately after that, the fans, I don't know if they were the same fans, started screaming again, but again Licelli didn't stop.
She waved to a strong reaction from the crowd.
Liceli's Instagram account did not mention the heckler as of Friday morning, but did post several pre-performance stories, including one of her on court that read, “Hmm, no way… here I am! '' was the caption.
Her backstage.com profile says she is 18-20 years old, from New Haven, Connecticut, and has performed as a solo artist at Radio City Music Hall.
Towns and the Knicks were all smiles all night while riding a four-game winning streak, including their second win in seven days against the Hornets.
The former Kentucky star led all players in scoring with 27 points and 16 rebounds, and the Knicks had six players score in double figures.
The Knicks (14-8) broke away in the third quarter and took a three-point lead at halftime, making it a close 103-78 game heading into the final game.
If the bottom-ranked Pistons come to Japan on Saturday, they will have a chance to extend their winning streak to five.
