The Monday, June 8 Knicks game at Madison Square Garden will be arguably the most important basketball game the arena has seen in years, but it won't look quite like games of recent weeks.
The beloved New York City team has been on a record-breaking run leading up to tonight's highly-anticipated Game 3, having not lost a game in over 40 days, winning 13 consecutive games in the postseason, being in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999, and most importantly, being two games away from winning the championship for the first time since 1973.
And though the games have come to be defined not only by the team's unbelievable prowess but also by their incredibly supportive, often rowdy fans, who have completely overtaken the surrounding Madison Square Garden area with their iconic watch parties, for the biggest game yet, fans will have to celebrate elsewhere.
© Getty ImagesDonald Trump's attendance
It has now been confirmed that the president, who was born and raised in Queens, will be in attendance at tonight's game, as will New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Trump previously said New York Knicks governor James Dolan invited him to attend a playoff game, noting he was particularly interested in seeing the Knicks in the finals.
His attendance makes him the first president to attend an NBA Finals game; many have already remarked he should have recused himself from the event given how the security measures his attendance requires is severely inconveniencing fellow attendees who have waited decades for this moment.
© Getty ImagesThe changes for attendees and watch party goers
Security measures have been seriously heightened since Trump confirmed his attendance. A strict no-bag policy will be in effect, and Madison Square Garden is asking ticket holders to arrive a whole two hours before tip-off, 6:30pm ET at the latest, in order to get through TSA-style screening procedures aided by the Secret Service.
© Getty ImagesMoreover a security wall has now been installed around the Madison Square Garden perimeter, where no watch parties will be held — there will be ones in Bryant Park, Brooklyn Bowl, and Central Park — plus vehicular and pedestrian traffic will be extremely limited.
"You can just imagine New York's temperature right now, which has been dialed up by the presence of President Trump," NBC correspondent Sam Brock said on TODAY, adding it "completely changes" the security profile of the event.
© Getty ImagesTicket prices
The get-in price for a single ticket according to StubHub is $4,635 for a single ticket as of writing, though others had previously reported that the cheapest ticket found was closer to $9,000. A courtside seat is currently on sale for $331,477.
Asked by a reporter aboard Air Force One about the high ticket prices, which "everyday Americans can't afford," Trump merely said: "They can watch it on television. It's sort of semi-free to watch it on television," adding: "That's the way life goes."
