What adjustments needs to be made for the Knicks to take Game 4 from the Spurs? ESPN's Get Up panel weighs in.
Madison Square Garden officials blasted the New York Police Department and Mayor Zohran Mamdani after the city unveiled its security plan, including a vast perimeter and other restrictions, for the NBA Finals’ Game 4, even though President Donald Trump does not plan to attend.
“The last several victories the Knicks have had have been celebrated by thousands and thousands outside MSG,” an arena spokesperson told CNN. “The joy and happiness were palpable everywhere. Apparently Mayor Mamdani and Police Commissioner (Jessica) Tisch, despite what they say, don’t want to see these celebrations happen.”
This week marks the first time the NBA Finals have returned to New York City in nearly three decades, as the Knicks host the San Antonio Spurs. The Knicks hold a 2-1 lead going into Game 4, scheduled to tip off at 8:30 p.m. ET. Trump went to Game 3 at the Garden, prompting tight security.
The latest dispute over security follows multiple violent incidents tied to Monday’s game, plus a stabbing Sunday at Penn Station — directly under the Garden — that left six people hurt. On Monday night, 21 people were taken into custody at a watch party of roughly 7,000 people in Bryant Park that turned violent and destructive, according to a law enforcement official. Two of those arrested were charged with assaulting a police officer, and five officers were injured, the official said.
Some in the crowd refused to leave, blocked traffic and engaged in large, physically violent fights that caused injuries, the official added. Others threw glass objects at people and ripped bus signs and trees out of the ground.
Separately, a 39-year-old man wearing a Spurs jersey was stomped and punched after Game 3 while walking down West 47th Street, about 15 blocks from the arena. The man was jeered and then attacked by people trying to rip off the jersey, video shows. After trying to defend himself and push people away, the man was taken to the ground from behind and kicked before his cellphone was stolen, according to the NYPD. The victim was hospitalized in stable condition.
Watch parties had been held outside the Garden for every other game in the Knicks’ playoff run except one, which was canceled due to rain, before they stopped during the last round of play against the Cleveland Cavaliers after the NYPD said it would not support the gatherings following crowd problems, an arena official told CNN.
That made the return of the watch party – even under tighter security – as a win for fans, city officials said.
“We’re back outside the Garden,” Mamdani wrote on X Tuesday without mentioning security would be stricter than for earlier watch parties at the site. “This is a historic, joyful moment for our city. We will not allow it to be disrupted by violence.”
Two additional watch parties Wednesday at Central Park’s Wollman Rink and Brooklyn Bowl are listed at capacity, according to an NBA webpage, with walk-ins welcome as space permits.
“The security in place this evening is in line with the measures that the NYPD uses for gatherings of this size, whether it be July 4th or New Year’s Eve,” Mamdani told reporters at an unrelated event Wednesday morning.
The watch party outside the arena had been cancelled for Game 3 due to presidential security but will resume Wednesday night, with some limitations, city officials said. Only ticketed attendees will be allowed in. City officials did not announce how to get tickets, and the Knicks watch party webpage said to “Check back soon for upcoming information” as of Wednesday afternoon.
“Madison Square Garden applied for a permit for an event the size of 500 to 1,000 people for the watch party. We approved the maximum end for 999 attendees,” Mamdani said Wednesday.
But that approval is “disingenuous,” an MSG Sports spokesperson said in a statement Wednesday afternoon. “More important than the event permit is the Mayor’s plan to freeze out fans from celebrating outside Madison Square Garden, which will turn the streets around MSG into a police state.”
The plan includes crowd-control measures in and around the arena, including a security zone similar to the one implemented Monday, when Trump attended and sat with James Dolan, whose company owns both the Garden and the Knicks. Those restrictions “were supposedly to thwart any threats related to the President’s attendance,” the arena spokesperson said.
“We now know these restrictions were never about the President – it was just a convenient excuse to restrict how and when Knicks fans celebrate,” the spokesperson said Tuesday night in a statement that blasted city officials and the NYPD and called Mamdani and Tisch “New York City’s biggest party poopers.”
Under Wednesday’s security plan, no one will be allowed inside the secure area starting at 4 p.m. unless they have a ticket to the game or watch party, a train ticket for Penn Station, are going to a business, live in the area, have credentials or have some other authorized reason to be there. The restrictions are essentially the same as those in place Monday for Trump’s visit. Everyone entering the secure area will be screened.
For comparison, the last time a Knicks watch party was held outside the Garden – during Friday’s Game 2 played in San Antonio – about 6,500 people attended, an NYPD spokesperson told CNN. There were 26 arrests, including a person who police said punched one officer before biting another.
Eighth Avenue will remain open to traffic for Game 4, according to the security plan — a change from Monday, when traffic was stopped and sanitation trucks blocked the roadway while Trump was inside the Garden. Bars and restaurants in the security zone will still be accessible, with patrons required to be screened.
Businesses inside the security zone will still be allowed to operate under strict capacity limits.
Broader closures will hurt more than just fans, the Garden spokesperson said.
“The complete closing of areas around MSG is going to affect not only the celebration but also all the small businesses that rely on Garden fans for their livelihood,” the spokesperson said.
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