NEW YORK (AP) — During the New York Knicks’ championship pursuit, thousands of ecstatic supporters have packed the sidewalks surrounding Madison Square Garden, frequently chanting their signature phrase: “We outside.”
However, for Wednesday’s crucial fourth game of the NBA Finals, impromptu street celebrations will be prohibited in front of the iconic venue.
The New York Police Department announced a security strategy that will prevent supporters from congregating near the Manhattan venue unless they possess game tickets or have “business specific to that area.”
City officials said they would permit 1,000 supporters to attend an organized viewing event outside the Garden — a reduced version of earlier watch parties that the NYPD had initially tried to cancel due to unruly behavior before changing their position.
Beyond that, supporters needed to demonstrate they had an “authorized reason” to enter a restricted area spanning multiple blocks around the venue. Local establishments and eateries could remain operational but faced “strict capacity limits,” according to police.
The restrictions angered devoted supporters and area establishments, as well as Knicks owner James Dolan — whose game-three invitation to President Donald Trump created another restricted area and prevented an outdoor viewing event from proceeding.
In a Wednesday statement, the Madison Square Garden Company criticized the mayor for turning the surrounding streets into a “police state” designed to “freeze out fans from celebrating.”
Due to these limitations, Dolan announced Wednesday afternoon that he would not provide television screens for Wednesday’s viewing event. He also challenged the city’s assertion that MSG had only requested authorization for up to 999 attendees.
To many New Yorkers, the security measures seemed to contradict Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s broader platform, which emphasized expanding public space access and reducing NYPD oversight of large gatherings. The dispute has renewed focus on the unstable relationship between the mayor and his police commissioner, Jessica Tisch.
“The NYPD is historically extremely risk-averse to disorderly behavior by crowds, whether they be celebratory or protesting,” said Jeffrey Fagan, a law professor at Columbia University who studies policing. “The mayor now faces a difficult calculus between the strong emotions of Knicks fans and the political risks if crowd control isn’t airtight.”
Recently, Mamdani administration officials have urged Tisch to permit some form of outdoor viewing events at Madison Square Garden, according to two sources familiar with the conversations, who spoke with The Associated Press anonymously because they weren’t authorized to discuss the meetings.
In return, Tisch has pushed for the security boundary, emphasizing the need to manage disruptive crowds that have occasionally turned violent and chaotic. Some recent supporter gatherings in Manhattan have resulted in dozens of arrests and multiple injuries to officers.
After Monday’s Knicks defeat, at least 21 individuals were arrested. The NYPD reported they are currently seeking members of a group that forcibly removed a San Antonio Spurs jersey from a man while attacking him.
Shaun Geddes, a Knicks supporter who hosts a popular team podcast, said he had participated in multiple series-winning celebrations outside the venue and observed that most supporters behaved appropriately.
“Then there’s a small group of people out there cosplaying as Knicks fans and doing performative things to go viral on TikTok,” Geddes added. “But being passionate as a Knicks fan doesn’t mean assaulting anyone.”
The restrictions have also concerned businesses near the venue that they could experience a significant decline in customer traffic on what would have been one of their busiest days annually.
“It’s ruining my business,” said Angela Reilly, the owner of Molly Wee, an Irish pub near the arena. “I haven’t seen anything like this level of security in 46 years.”
Responding to criticism about the closure, city officials have pointed out there isn’t recent precedent for their current situation. The Knicks haven’t reached an NBA Finals since 1999. Most other major city sports teams compete in less densely populated outer boroughs or New Jersey.
However, when the New York Rangers — who also compete at the Garden — last captured the Stanley Cup in 1994, the NYPD used a different strategy for managing celebrating supporters.
Before the game, police announced they would remove potential projectiles like metal trash containers or debris from around the venue but would permit supporters to move freely.
“We expect the fans to be extremely vocal,” Allen Hoehl, former NYPD chief, said at a news conference. “If they want to go from here to there, we’ll escort them in any direction.”
