With Trump attending Game 3, watch party canceled, NYPD says

NEW YORK — As part of enhanced security measures with President Donald Trump attending Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Monday, there will be no watch party outside Madison Square Garden, the New York Police Department said Sunday.

The decision, announced not much more than 24 hours before the New York Knicks host the San Antonio Spurs, was made in coordination with the Secret Service, the department said, ending speculation about the popular gatherings.

Such parties, where thousands of fans pack in to watch the game on a big screen, have been a point of contention for the city’s police department even without the complication of a presidential visit.

An MSG spokesperson later sent a statement to media outlets, saying, “The permit for the Plaza33 Game 3 watch party was denied by the city’s permitting office in consultation with the NYPD. However, the White House will confirm that this is not about the president. We understand NYPD Commissioner Tisch is planning additional street closures around Madison Square Garden.”

The NYPD’s statement included a mention that this decision stands for Monday’s game only, leaving open the likelihood of a watch party for Game 4 on Wednesday, when the Knicks could potentially win the title, depending on Game 3’s result.

“There will be no watch parties outside of Madison Square Garden for Game 3 only,” the statement read. “This was done fully in coordination with the Secret Service because of the presidential visit. We expect watch parties at Madison Square Garden to resume for Game 4.”

Matt McCool, special agent in charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s New York field office, said he understood that with the Knicks on a historic run there would be some disappointment from fans.

“At the same time, our responsibility is to ensure the highest level of public safety,” he said. “After careful coordination and assessment, the Secret Service and the NYPD jointly determined that outdoor watch parties could not be accommodated in the immediate vicinity of Madison Square Garden due to the security requirements associated with an event of this scale and the need to maintain a secure environment for protective operations.”

More than two dozen people were arrested as Friday’s watch party spilled into the streets surrounding the Garden after the Knicks defeated the Spurs in San Antonio to take a 2-0 series lead. One woman was accused of punching a police officer in the face, the NYPD said.

Heading into the NBA Finals, the city had moved to cancel watch parties outside the arena altogether because of rowdy behavior at unofficial gatherings, but it later reversed itself and granted a permit for Game 1 on Wednesday.

Team-sanctioned watch parties will go on at Wollman Rink in Central Park and at Brooklyn Bowl, the Knicks’ website said. Both events required advanced registration and were already at capacity as of Sunday afternoon.

Also on Sunday, the Knicks warned fans to get to Monday’s matchup at least two hours early as part of enhanced security measures. Trump already has attended a number of major sporting events in his second term, including the 2025 Super Bowl, Daytona 500 and Ryder Cup.

The Knicks have not been in the Finals since 1999, when they lost to the Spurs, and the franchise last won an NBA title in 1973, when New York defeated the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.