Monday’s Game 3 of the NBA Finals is the most anticipated home game in New York Knicks history.
Due to the planned appearance of President Donald Trump, accessing Madison Square Garden is turning into a headache for everybody involved, including fans, arena staffers, media and even the players playing in the game.
San Antonio Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox spoke with media from courtside about the player experience after arriving to Madison Square Garden early Monday. He says that accessing the arena was “like getting screened by TSA.”
“I think the president being here just makes it inconvenient on everybody else,” Fox said. “We’ve got more, obviously more security. We’ve got to send stuff early, I think our buses are a little earlier. …
“The less stuff you can bring the better. Obviously, we’re getting screened like it’s TSA. A little inconvenient for the people that’s gotta play. It is what it is.”
Arena staffers who arrived early to work Monday were met with a perimeter fence surrounding Madison Square Garden and long lines to get in the building.
Per one report, the line for employees to get in entailed a one hour wait as early as 9:25 a.m. for a game that’s scheduled to tip at 8:30 p.m.
On-site media, meanwhile, are reporting that they have been barred from the typical pregame access that’s normally granted as they cover the biggest game yet of the NBA season.
The morning headaches for early arrivals served as a warning for the nearly 20,000 fans planning to show up to watching the game in person, many of whom spent thousands and even tens of thousands of dollars for their seats: Get there early.
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Citing “enhanced security measures” amid the presence of the U.S. Secret Service, the Knicks released a statement on Saturday urging fans to show up to Game 3 “at least two hours” before tip. Fans face a “strict no-bag policy,” were warned to “limit personal items to an absolute minimum” and were told to anticipate “TSA-style screening procedures.”
As for the fans without tickets who have become accustomed to a game-watch party outside of the arena during the playoffs, they’re out of luck. The watch party has been canceled.
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