While street closures, added security measures, and time delays for entry into Madison Square Garden caused issues for the MSG employees, media, and fans, the hype surrounding President Donald Trump attending Game 3 of the NBA Finals did not seem to phase either team. Both Knicks Head Coach Mike Brown and Spurs Head Coach Mitch Johnson were asked about the additional security measures and how it affected their arrival and the team overall.
In his pregame press conference, Mike Brown stated, “I’m just
locked in, man, on Game 3. A lot of people text me all the time about this and that, and for me, my focus is just what’s next and what’s in front of me, and Game 3 is front of us right now. I feel our group is that way, too.”
He did admit that his commute was altered, but not because of the President’s arrival. During the Finals, the Knicks have been practicing at MSG. “Coming here, you know, I stayed downtown because we were practicing here. So I stayed downtown at the team hotel. I’ve never done that on a game before. But it’s easier because we’re practicing here, and so staying downtown and coming from our hotel to here was a shorter drive or a shorter commute than what I’m used to coming from Westchester County.”
For Mitch Johnson, the response was similar. “I have not felt any inconvenience or — we’ve got a big game tonight, and trying to continue to find a way to play closer to our standard and our identity than we had in the first two games. There’s a lot going on [for the Spurs], and I’d much rather be a part of it than not.”
Meanwhile, Victor Wembanyama took his time in New York to get out. As fans may recall, on his first trip to New York to play the Knicks, Wemby put out a post inviting people to come play chess. This time, he took some time in Gramercy Park to draw.
After the game, Wembanyama validated his trip to the park was to help him get centered,
“Really tried to relax. The Playoffs, it’s like a – I don’t know how to say that word – a whirlwind. It’s hard to put your head out of the water. Sometimes I don’t even got to watch the game back right away. I need some time off, let my brain cool down, recover. Recover as much for the body as for the mind.”
As for the rest, media were standing in line before they began admitting credentialed personnel, only to find out we had been standing in the wrong line. As fans trickled in two hours before tip off, looks of exhaustion were quickly replaced by jubilation.
In the end, the Spurs pulled an upset and sent the fans away as quietly as they entered. As MSG emptied from seating to the stairwells, I spoke with two sullen season ticket Knicks fans who commented that the crowd was “weak” and the “quietest” they had heard in years. Their take was that forcing fans to come early and wait in long security lines zapped them. By game’s end, many had been at the venue 6-8 hours not counting travel.
As of this writing, the president is not expected to attend Game 4, so it should be business as usual, whatever that means for a Manhattan-based NBA Finals game. I’ll let you know once we experience it.
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