John Mellencamp calls out Pat McAfee over roast of New York celebrities at Pacers-Knicks game

During Game 4 of the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals on Tuesday night, ESPN personality Pat McAfee got hold of a microphone and extended a very special welcome to a handful of New York celebrities. Much to the chagrin of famous singer John Mellencamp.

Mellencamp wasn’t a fan of how McAfee put a spotlight onto the likes of Spike Lee, Ben Stiller and Timothée Chalamet, encouraging the home Indiana crowd to boo them. He penned a short note and posted it on Twitter on Thursday afternoon.

“‘Hoosier Hospitality’ … I was embarrassed when somebody, under whose direction I don’t know, called out some of the people who had made the trip to New York to support their team — and in turn, support our team,” Mellencamp wrote. “The audience booed these people. I’d say that was not Hoosier Hospitality. One could only say it’s poor, poor sportsmanship. I was not proud to be a Hoosier, and I’ve lived here my entire life.

“On behalf of most Hoosiers, I would like to apologize for our poor behavior. I’m sure the Pacers had nothing to do with this smackdown.”

The fans, for what it’s worth, seemed to eat up Pat McAfee’s WWE-like bit. The boos were thunderous, and it seemed to spur the Pacers to a 130-121 win.

McAfee was meticulous with his intro, too. He was deliberate.

“Indianapolis, Indiana, we got some bigwigs from the big city in the building,” Pat McAfee said. “Spike Lee is here. Ben Stiller is here. Timothée Chalamet is here.”

He paused after each name, allowing the crowd to boo thoroughly. Then he drove home the spear.

“Let’s send these sons of b*tches back to New York with their ears bleeding!” McAfee roared. The fans responded in kind.

The win for Indiana on Tuesday night led to a 3-1 lead in the series, with the Pacers looking to take down the Knicks to move on to the NBA Finals. The two teams will meet again tonight in New York.

No word yet on whether Lee, Stiller, Chalamet or any of the New York home crowd plan any sort of a welcome for visiting Indiana fans. But you can bet if Pat McAfee shows up he’ll likely get an earful from the New York crowd.