Knicks fans who can’t get inside Madison Square Garden for Game 4 of the NBA Finals tonight will be able to watch all the action outside “The World’s Most Famous Arena,” but there will be tight security measures in place.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the NYPD have announced that the watch party will return to outside MSG after being relocated Monday night to Bryant Park due to President Donald Trump’s attendance during Game 3, which the Knicks lost to the San Antonio Spurs.
But because the Bryant Park party, and two other watch parties at MSG, saw dozens of fans arrested for assaulting cops, obstructing traffic and other chaotic acts, Mamdani said the city would be stepping up crowd control efforts — from mandating that all partygoers have a ticket to attend, to sealing off certain streets around the arena Wednesday night.
“NEW YORK: We’re back outside the Garden. We have approved a ticketed MSG watch party for Game 4. More details soon. As we prepare to watch together, let me be clear: this is a historic, joyful moment for our city. We will not allow it to be disrupted by violence. Be safe, take care, and celebrate responsibly. Knicks in 5,” Mamdani said.
MSG is expected to release 1,000 tickets for the watch party later on Wednesday on the Knicks’ official website.
What Knicks fans can expect heading to the Garden
Wednesday night’s watch party at Plaza33 will feature a hefty security perimeter, police said. This perimeter will run from West 29th to West 35th Streets, between Sixth and Eighth Avenues, and will begin being established at 4 p.m.
Seventh Avenue between West 29th Street and West 35th Street will be closed to both vehicles and pedestrian traffic.
“Starting at 4 p.m., no one will be allowed inside the secure area unless they have a ticket to the game, a train ticket, are going to a business (restaurant or bar) inside the area, live in the area, have credentials, or have some other authorized reason to be there,” the NYPD said in a statement. “Everyone entering the secure area will be screened.”
Ticket holders for the watch party must enter via the access point on the west side of Sixth Avenue at West 33rd Street.
These stringent security measures, similar to what was seen on Monday in preparation for the president’s arrival for the game, drew the ire of Madison Square Garden Sports (MSG Sports), the ownership group run by CEO James Dolan, who had invited Trump to watch Game 3 from a luxury box. MSG Sports heavily criticized both Mamdani and Tisch for the restrictions to be imposed on Wednesday.
“The last several victories the Knicks have had have been celebrated by thousands and thousands outside MSG. The joy and happiness were palpable everywhere. Apparently, Mayor Mamdani and Police Commissioner Tisch, despite what they say, don’t want to see these celebrations happen,” MSG Sports said in a statement. “We have been told that the NYPD will once again implement the same ‘frozen zone’ restrictions for Game 4, which were supposedly to thwart any threats related to the President’s attendance. We now know these restrictions were never about the President -it was just a convenient excuse to restrict how and when Knicks fans celebrate.”
Businesses inside the security perimeter will be permitted to remain open to fans, but with strict capacity limits, the NYPD said. MSG Sports, however, argued that the security zones would negatively impact the establishments seeking to capitalize on the Knicks’ championship pursuit.
“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,” MSG Sports said in its statement. “These celebrations are part of the heart and soul of New Yorkers. The actions of the Mayor and Police Commissioner, supposedly in support of the Knicks and their fans, are difficult to understand. We urge them to lift these restrictions and embrace the love of the team.”
The team’s statement did not address the incidents at previous watch parties outside MSG and at Bryant Park that led to dozens of arrests.
The restrictions come after the watch party outside of Bryant Park on Monday turned into a riot when fans brawled with one another, uprooted trees, and clashed with cops. Several officers unleashed pepper spray, and the department’s controversial SRG unit deployed on the scene after some Knicks supporters hurled bottles and other objects at police.
Basketball fanatics even surrounded a bus stop sign and attempted to rip it out of the concrete ground by twisting it and shaking it rapidly. One man could even be seen posing with the bus sign that fell from the pole.
According to an NYPD spokesperson, some 7,000 fans gathered in the area, 21 of whom were arrested for charges such as disorderly conduct and assault on a police officer. Five cops suffered minor injuries.
