By Mark Morales, Julianna Bragg, CNN
(CNN) — The New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs are locked in a fierce battle around Game 4 of the NBA championships. So are Madison Square Garden and city officials.
NYPD officials unveiled a new, more restrictive security plan Tuesday ahead of Wednesday’s game, drawing strong criticism from Madison Square Garden.
“The last several victories the Knicks have had have been celebrated by thousands and thousands outside MSG,” a Madison Square Garden spokesperson told CNN. “The joy and happiness were palpable everywhere. Apparently Mayor Mamdani and Police Commissioner Tisch, despite what they say, don’t want to see these celebrations happen.”
The plan includes crowd-control measures in and around the arena, including a frozen zone similar to the one implemented during Game 3 on Monday when President Donald Trump was in attendance. The Madison Square Garden spokesperson said those restrictions “were supposedly to thwart any threats related to the President’s attendance.”
“We now know these restrictions were never about the President – it was just a convenient excuse to restrict how and when Knicks fans celebrate,” the spokesperson said in a statement blasting city officials and the NYPD Tuesday night.
The new strategy comes a day after 21 people were arrested at a watch party that became violent and destructive, according to a law enforcement official.
Some people in the crowd who refused to leave and blocked traffic engaged in large physically violent fights, causing multiple injuries, the official said. Others threw glass objects at people and ripped bus signs and trees out of the ground.
“The complete closing of areas around MSG is going to affect not only the celebration but also all the small businesses that rely on Garden fans for their livelihood,” the Madison Square Garden spokesperson said.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani had a different take on the highly secure, ticketed watch party, calling it a “historic, joyful moment for our city.”
“We will not allow it to be disrupted by violence,” Mamdani wrote on X.
Under Wednesday’s security plan, no one will be allowed inside the secure area starting at 4 p.m. unless they have a ticket to the game, a train ticket for Penn Station, are going to a business, live in the area, have credentials or have some other authorized reason to be there. Everyone entering the secure area will be screened.
Businesses inside the security zone will still be allowed to operate under strict capacity limits.
The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
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