Knicks watch party outside Madison Square Garden canceled due to Trump’s attendance


New York Knicks fans can cheer on their beloved team pretty much anywhere in the city’s five boroughs on Monday night — except outside of Madison Square Garden.

A watch party outside of the team’s home court has been canceled for Game 3 of the NBA Finals due to the planned attendance of President Donald Trump. A spokesperson for the NYPD confirmed to NBC News on Sunday that the decision was made in coordination with the Secret Service.

“There will be watch parties at other locations,” the department said. “We are currently determining where they will be.”

Trump told reporters last month after the Knicks advanced to the Finals — the first time since 1999 — that he had been invited to attend their home games.

Trump says he may attend Knicks’ NBA Finals game

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“Great to see it,” Trump said. “The Knicks have really, they’ve really suffered for years.”

The team’s official social media accounts announced a series of additional security measures for fans attending the game. Fans were asked to limit personal items as a strict no-bag policy will be enforced alongside a TSA-style screening procedure.

Fans were also advised to arrive at least two hours before tipoff on Monday and to review the Secret Service’s list of prohibited items before entering the arena.

Some of the Knicks’ most high-profile players were asked during Sunday’s media availability how they feel about Trump’s attendance at the game. Karl-Anthony Towns sidestepped the question by focusing on the fans who “earned the right” to see a championship series at home.

“I talked about the word hope. Hope has been brought back to the city, but the word success hasn’t been seen,” Towns said. “We have to fight to bring that word back to fruition.”

OG Anunoby, who was born in England but raised in the United States, said the president’s presence shouldn’t change anything for the men on the court.

“I think he’ll just be there watching,” Anunoby said. “We’re going to go as usual, play our game. Try to win the game.”

The Knicks are returning home with a 2-0 lead against the San Antonio Spurs in an incredible playoff run that’s included back-to-back sweeps of the Philadelphia 76ers and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference. Led by Jalen Brunson, the team has now won 13 consecutive games.

The series is a rematch of the 1999 NBA Finals, when the Knicks also faced the Spurs. That series similarly opened with two games in San Antonio — but with opposite results: The home team prevailed, and New York returned trailing 0-2. The Knicks won Game 3 before their home crowd but lost the next two games and the series.

If the Knicks win the best-of-seven series this year, it will be the franchise’s first championship since 1973.



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