Donald Trump is not expected to be at Madison Square Garden for Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night.
Still, there will not be a watch party outside of the Garden, a development that has prompted a wild feud between Knicks owner James Dolan and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
In a statement released just before the start of Game 4, the Knicks addressed the situation (via NBA insider Chris Haynes).
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“Madison Square Garden and the New York Knicks declined to use the permit that was granted by Mayor Mamdani's office due to the fact that only 1,000 people would be allowed into the area and they would need to be ticketed, leaving the tens of thousands of people who want to come to The Garden to celebrate the Knicks out in the cold. We did not think it was fair to just allow a small group to celebrate outside The Garden when everybody else was being shut out.”
It is befuddling to a lot of people that a watch party for such a massive game will not take place, with the Knicks looking to push Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs to the edge. A win by New York in Game 4 would give the Knicks a 3-1 series lead, putting them a win away from ending the long NBA title drought of the beloved franchise.
Perhaps things will change if there is another game in New York for this NBA Finals series. But a win by the Knicks in Game 4 would open the possibility of the Knicks winning the NBA title in San Antonio in Game 5 on Saturday.
Donald Trump is not expected to be at Madison Square Garden for Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night. Still, there will not be a watch party outside of the Garden, a development that has prompted a wild feud between Knicks owner James Dolan and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani.