The Knicks Game 4 watch party outside of MSG has officially been canceled

UPDATE:

In a pretty unfortunate turn of events, tonight's Knicks Game 4 watch party outside of Madison Square Garden has officially been canceled following a spat between the team's owner, James Dolan, and Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

The decision caps days of back-and-forth between Dolan and City Hall over how tightly to lock down the streets near the arena for the Knicks-Spurs game.

On WFAN Wednesday, Dolan said the outdoor screens wouldn't go up and laid the blame on Mamdani and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, griping that the security perimeter was so strict that "you have an easier chance of getting into Area 51 today" than into the Garden. 

Mamdani's rebuttal, posted to X, cast Dolan as the one who walked away from a permit the city had already signed off on. "We approved that permit for 999 fans," he wrote. The NYPD echoed that, noting the 500-to-999 cap had been MSG's own request rather than something imposed on it. 

The Garden saw it differently, brushing off the approval as "disingenuous at best" and warning that the restrictions would leave the blocks around MSG feeling like a "police state."

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New Yorkers have spent the past few weeks doing what New Yorkers do best: turning basketball into street theater.

After every Knicks playoff win, thousands of fans have flooded the blocks around Madison Square Garden, climbing light poles, chanting in traffic and treating Midtown like one giant block party. But for Game 4 of the NBA Finals tonight, that spontaneous celebration is getting a whole lot more organized.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced yesterday afternoon that the city has approved a ticketed watch party outside Madison Square Garden, bringing fans back to the area after Game 3 festivities were relocated to Bryant Park due to heightened security measures surrounding President Donald Trump's attendance. "NEW YORK: We're back outside the Garden," Mamdani wrote on X. "We have approved a ticketed MSG watch party for Game 4."

The watch party will take place at Plaza33, just west of Madison Square Garden, where fans can watch the Knicks take on the San Antonio Spurs in Game 4 of the NBA Finals. But don't expect the freewheeling atmosphere that defined earlier celebrations. According to the NYPD, attendance will be limited to ticket holders, who must pass through security screening checkpoints beginning at 4:30 pm. Once inside, there will be no reentry.

The city will once again establish a large security perimeter around Madison Square Garden, stretching from West 29th Street to West 35th Street, between Sixth and Eighth Avenues. Portions of Seventh Avenue will be closed to most pedestrian and vehicle traffic, while access inside the zone will largely be restricted to game-ticket holders, residents, workers, train passengers and others with a specific reason to be there.

The restrictions have sparked a growing public spat between City Hall and Madison Square Garden Sports. On Tuesday, MSG Sports accused city officials of unnecessarily limiting fan celebrations and hurting nearby businesses. "These celebrations are part of the heart and soul of New Yorkers," the company said. "We urge them to lift these restrictions and embrace the love of the team."

And the dispute escalated on Wednesday morning when MSG Sports criticized the city's decision to limit the watch party to 1,000 ticketed attendees and questioned why restrictions remain in place around the arena despite Trump's absence from Game 4. In a new statement, the company argued that "The Knicks' victories are for all New Yorkers" and called on Mayor Mamdani to provide "an honest answer" for the continued security measures. City officials, meanwhile, have pointed to Monday night's postgame chaos. Police arrested 21 people after Game 3 and said parts of the crowd became rowdy, with some fans fighting, climbing on structures and vehicles and clashing with officers.

So yes, the Knicks watch party is back outside the Garden. And while it may feel less like a spontaneous street party and more like a highly managed Knicks-palooza, after Monday night's chaos, city officials are betting fans will happily take the tradeoff.