Knicksanity

With the New York Knicks back in the NBA Finals after almost 3 decades, the city, fans especially, have gone gaga. You see commuters and pedestrians wearing NYK colors, our store manager even went to work wearing her Knicks shirt.

The NBA Store and the Nike flagship store on 5th Avenue have mostly tourists buying officially licensed Knicks merchandise, with souvenir shops across the city having their own various versions of celebrating this Finals appearance since 1999 and in anticipation of their first championship after 53 years.

Last Monday, in preparation for Game 1, the 34th Street subway entrance outside the Madison Square Garden had somehow become an instant Knicks monument as it was repainted in blue and orange and adorned with basketball light fixtures.  Since then, it has become one of NYC’s most photographed location.

The NYPD banned the watch party outside MSG after Game 3 of the series against Cleveland as the crowd became rowdy, climbed on street signs, light posts and jumped on vehicles.  Several people were arrested.  The ban was lifted for the Finals and riot police were present.   Showing up in the area in a Spurs gear is a death wish as surely you’ll be mobbed.

$10 get-in watch party tickets for Game 1 at MSG sold out in minutes with resale going as high as $100.   Outside the arena there’s a free watch party.  There is also free viewing being held at Summer Stage in Central Park.  A good number of bars across NYC and New Jersey offer free viewing, provided of course you patronize their products.   It would be nice to be at a rooftop bar in Times Square on June 10 and call out from work the following day.

I could not watch Game 1 as I had an early morning shift but was awakened by some shouting and cheers about 11pm, which meant the Knicks grabbed the first game in San Antonio.

It’s great to be a New York Knicks fan but it’s very expensive to be one, if you want to get inside MSG.   NYK hosts Games 3 and 4 and ticket reseller StubHub have the cheapest available at $7,517 in the nosebleed sections.   Compare this to an average monthly rent of $5,181 in Manhattan.   FIFA World Cup officials are drooling with these ticket prices.

Pandemonium broke out inside and outside MSG as the Knicks take a 2-0 series lead.  It’s on to Game 3 with, depending on which side of the coin you’re in, famous or infamous resident, Donald Trump reportedly attending the game.   This makes it doubly hard to get inside MSG with the added security.