Knicks fans rock Madison Square Garden to the rafters for NBA Finals Game 3
Knicks fans cheer against the San Antonio Spurs during the first quarter of Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Monday at Madison Square Garden. Credit: Newsday/William Perlman
With the Knicks playing their first NBA Finals game at Madison Square Garden in 27 years Monday, things were always going to be crazy in the self-styled World’s Most Famous Arena. Throw in a visit by President Donald Trump, and that only added to the craziness, with all the added security required, streets around the Garden closed off, and barriers everywhere.
About 20 minutes before the scheduled 8:30 p.m. tipoff, the fans in the upper deck started a “Let’s go Knicks!’’ chant. A couple minutes later, MSG Knicks analysts Bill Pidto and Wally Szczerbiak appeared on the jumbotron, giving a little preview of the game, and the fans cheered again.
Fans had been given wristbands, which lit up and changed colors, creating a kaleidoscope of light as the video board began playing its usual pregame hype routine. When that ended, and the Knicks’ opponents, the San Antonio Spurs came out for their layup lines, fans booed, and chanted “Let’s go Knicks!’’ And then, it was the Knicks turn, and the fans stood and turned up the volume on the cheers.
Everyone was in their seats at that point – though they were standing – including the celebrities, Timothee Chalamet, Ben Stiller, Tracy Morgan, etc., while the Inside the NBA crew of Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Shaquille O’Neal and special guest Draymond Green did the final minutes of their pre-game show from on the court.
Trump was set up in a suite at midcourt, on the bench side, opposite the scorer’s table. When fans were asked to rise for the National Anthem, performed by Avery Wilson, fans chanted, “USA! USA!” Trump was shown on the video board, saluting, during the anthem, and received a mix of cheers and boos.
When the Spurs’ starting lineup was shown on the board after the anthem, there was mild booing. But then the Knicks’ starters were shown, and the place exploded in noise.
When Spurs center Victor Wembanyama won the opening tap against Karl-Anthony Towns, giving San Antonio the first offensive possession, the fans chanted “Dee-Fense! Dee-Fense!’’
The NYPD started closing off streets around the Garden at 4 p.m. and barricades were set up around the building. With fencing in front of the usual employee entrance at Gate D, and enhanced security check-in procedures created long lines for game-night employees reporting at 4 p.m., four-and-a-half hours before tipoff.
A few feet to the left of that, outside Gate C, which was functioning as the media entrance, a man in a Knicks tracksuit and baseball cap, standing on in-line skates, spun two basketballs on the point of a small Trump flag while reporters waited to enter the building.
Meanwhile, with all the Knicks fans who traveled to away games in the playoffs, and all the support they’ve given the team on the road, a few of the Knicks players were asked at Sunday’s practice at the Garden what they expected the atmosphere would be like for Game 3.
“I expect our fans to come out and do what they do every game, which is come and support us at the highest level,’’ center Karl-Anthony Towns said. “To see Finals basketball after all this time is going to be really, really special.’’
Fans, of course, had been warned to get to the building early, and they were let into the building earlier than normal for a regular game – two hours before tipoff, rather than one. But most fans seemed excited to be in the building, and didn’t seem to mind having so much time to kill. They stood on long lines to the team stores on every floor, and stood on lines at the food concession stands.
When players on both teams went onto the floor for warmups about an hour before tipoff, the stands were roughly half-full. And just about everyone was there when the game started at xxx.
The folks sitting behind the Chase bridge, in what used to be the old blue seats, were there early, and cheered when they saw former Knicks Iman Shumpert and Jeremy Lin walking onto the bridge. Wen San Antonio star Victor Wembanyama came out to warm up, about 45 minutes before the opening tap, the fans booed.
Knicks coach Mike Brown certainly appreciated it. At practice Sunday, Brown, in his first year with the team, was asked what he remembered about his impressions of the Garden crowd the first time he entered the building as coach.
“I was like, holy crap, I can't believe this is where I'm going to be coaching,’’ Brown said. “The biggest thing was when I got to the bench where we sit and I kind of turned and looked at the crowd, I saw my wife and family, like, three rows back, I was like, dang, thanks, Mr. Dolan, that's pretty nice.
“Just obviously the building, but… then obviously all the stars. It makes it feel different than almost any other building you've been in.’’
Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
