City Abruptly Cancels Knicks Game 4 Garden Watch Party

This watch party was over before it started. On Wednesday afternoon June 10, at around 4:30 p.m., an NYPD officer at the corner of West 33rd Street and Eighth Avenue was already imposing a “frozen zone” around Madison Square Garden. The Knicks were facing the San Antonio Spurs that evening at 8:30 p.m., and for now, the cop seemed to be letting most people pass, as long as they showed a train ticket or had a specific bar destination.

Unlike the Game 3 frozen where bars, restaurants, pizza joints and delis were essentially off limits to anyone after 4:30 p.m. due to imposition of the frozen zone implemented by the Secret Service and the NYPD in connection with the arrival President Donald Trump, a few people were getting through.

Asked what was the plan for the frozen zone on June 10, officer on the corner said, “I have no f***ing idea. It’s four hours before game time. Do I need to be checking IDs four hours in advance? I don’t think so. One hour? Two hours? Maybe.”

Then only hours before the game was set to begin at 8:30 p.m., Mayor Zohran Mamdani posted on social media that the watch party outside MSG was canceled.

“MSG requested a permit for a watch party for 500-999 fans. We approved that permit for 999 fans,” Mamdani wrote. “Mr. [James] Dolan has now decided to cancel the watch party.”

But the frozen zone stretching from West 28th Street to West 35th Street remained in place.

Watch parties had become increasingly rowdy. Twenty one people were arrested after the Game 3 loss by the Knicks. Five police officers were injured. The search was underway for a mob that had attacked a San Antonio fan, kicked him and stripped him of his Spurs jersey.

The small businesses around the garden were expecting big business until the arrival of Trump forced stepped up security measures for Game 3.

Fan lucky enough to have tickets had to pass through metal detectors and many had to wait on lines for up to an hour.

But even with the president gone, the NYPD was still imposing a frozen zone, perhaps motivated to half another round of rowdiness and lawlessness that had marked a watch party that was set up at the last minute at Bryant Park.

Michael and Patrick O’Brien, brothers who grew up on the UES and were co-owners of O’Brien’s on West 31st said business was hurt badly during Game 3.

The two brothers had bought out their partner of the former Tracks in November and changed the name to O’Briens. The railroad memorabilia when with their former owner as they converted to a fully sports bar.

“We were expecting our biggest day of the year” on June 8. Instead, he said with patrons blocked from reaching the restaurant/pub, he said, “We probably lost $30,000 on the night.”

And it was not just the sports bars that were hurting. “We are not seeing anyone my friend,” said Hassan Alborati, owner of Gardenia deli on Eighth Ave. close to 30th Street. “They destroyed us,” he said. He said he probably lost $5,000 to $6,000 in revenue due to the June 8 frozen zone.

He also blasted Jim Dolan the owner of the Knicks and Madison Square Garden. “What’s Dolan doing for the people?” he asked.

Next door at the Blarney Stone manager Joe Sikowitz said police were being told to let people into places if they had reservations. “But we’re not a reservation place,” he said. “We’re first come first served.” He said business was probably down $3,000 on June 8.