Key events
Ella Brockway
Less than a half hour before tip-off, Madison Square Garden is nearly full. I’m situated in the 300s with a bird’s-eye view of the court, and the fans at this level were some of the earliest arrivals. (I was also among the early arrivals, as my Apple Health step count tracker has made clear: I walked 5,293 steps around the entirety of this arena just to find a security access point that would let me inside.)
Celebrity Row is starting to fill up. So far, I see Ben Stiller, Tina Fey, Tracy Morgan and Spike Lee in a group. Lee is wearing a jersey that says “Pope Leo” on the back – a pointed choice, given a certain attender’s recent clashes with the head of the Catholic church? The director and longtime Knicks fan was hanging out with franchise cult hero Jeremy Lin earlier.
The pregame laser and light show just wrapped up with the clock targeting under 15 minutes until tip. If reports are correct, it won’t be the only show we see tonight: Billboard and TMZ said earlier today that rapper Cardi B is set to perform at half-time of Game 3.
Few events bring New Yorkers together quite like a Knicks finals run. As the city counts down to Game 3 at Madison Square Garden, the anticipation has extended from midtown Manhattan across the five boroughs and even to the housing units of Rikers Island, where incarcerated fans have been following every twist and turn alongside supporters on the outside.
Trump has managed to hijack the spotlight from one the biggest nights in Knicks history. Earlier, the Guardian spoke with a few New York fans outside the arena about the president’s presence.
“He could have picked any other day. This night is for the fans,” said Joanne Cadden, 53, a lifelong Knicks supporter from the Bronx who has followed the team since the early 1990s. “You’re making people go away from the Garden. This wasn’t the time.”
Gesturing toward the fencing and checkpoints surrounding the arena, Cadden added: “This looks like prison.”
Rich Becker, a 54-year-old Knicks fan from Queens who came to Midtown despite not having a ticket, said the president’s visit had changed the feel of the day, including the cancellation of the outdoor watch party that had drawn thousands of fans outside the Garden during earlier playoff games.
“It changed everything,” Becker said. “Should he be here? I don’t think he should, but he’s coming. He used to be a Knicks fan. He spent a lot of time at the Garden back in the day. But now it’s a little different. Just stay away.”
For Tom Meade, 76, who attended Knicks playoff games during the franchise’s championship era and brought his son Tommy to Monday’s game, the fences, checkpoints and presidential motorcade were ultimately secondary to the occasion itself.
“This is amazing,” Meade said as fans streamed toward the Garden. “The only thing close to it was the Willis Reed and Walt Frazier years. Those championship teams [in 1970 and 1973].”
The heightened security was “a nuisance”, he added, “but we’re here to enjoy the game and the Knicks.”
Donald Trump arrives at MSG
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Preamble
Hello and welcome to Madison Square Garden, where the NBA finals have finally returned after a 27-year wait and the city around it has spent the whole day behaving like history is about to happen.
Hours before tipoff, midtown Manhattan was lousy with fans in blue and orange jerseys, chanting “Let’s go Knicks!” and “Knicks in four!” outside the arena as the city prepared for its first finals game at the Garden since 1999. The Knicks are back home with a 2-0 series lead over the San Antonio Spurs, a 13-game playoff winning streak and a chance to move within one victory of a first championship since 1973.
The anticipation has transformed Game 3 into one of the hottest tickets New York has ever seen. The cheapest upper-deck seats were changing hands for upwards of $12,000 on resale sites over the last few days before coming down to $5,000 today, while premium courtside seats commanded prices that would cover a year’s rent in most US cities.
But basketball is only part of tonight’s story. Donald Trump is expected to attend as a guest of Knicks owner James Dolan, becoming the first sitting US president to attend an NBA finals game. His presence has prompted one of the largest security operations ever seen around Madison Square Garden. An 10-foot perimeter fence surrounded the arena, ticket holders were advised to arrive at least two hours early and the team implemented a strict no-bag policy along with what it described as “TSA-style screening procedures” at arena entrances. Long lines formed throughout the afternoon as thousands attempted to navigate the checkpoints.
Adding another wrinkle, New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani is also expected to attend after purchasing a ticket directly from Madison Square Garden, placing two of the country’s most prominent political figures in the building alongside celebrities, former players and nearly 20,000 fans desperate to witness history.
Now, after 27 years of waiting, the focus finally shifts back to basketball. The Knicks are two wins from a title. The Spurs are fighting to save the series. Tip-off is just over an hour away.
Bryan will be here shortly. In the meantime here’s the Guardian’s Stateside with Kai and Carter episode on an NBA finals even a billionaire can’t ruin.
