You won’t be able to get anywhere near Madison Square Garden starting Monday afternoon.
Not even on foot, with Donald Trump becoming the first sitting president to attend an NBA Finals game.
So. Where will you be?
With MSG off-limits, the city added an alternative watch party for Knicks Game 3 in Bryant Park. It’s free to attend, but capacity is 5,000 people. Those interested need to pre-register for tickets.
There are also team-sanctioned watch parties at Wollman Rink in Central Park and at Brooklyn Bowl.
Those events require pre-registration as well.
For Central Park, fans are advised to arrive at least 30 minutes before tip-off to secure spots, though the lawn will likely be filled well before the game starts at 8:40 p.m. Brooklyn Bowl requires an RSVP but is first-come, first-served. “Doors” for both locations open at 6 p.m.
Join us on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. before tip-off for a News 4 special on everything Knicks and the road to the championship. Catch it wherever you watch News 4. Like right here.
“These watch parties have become a celebration of New York City itself,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a statement. “From every borough and every neighborhood, this city has come together to cheer on the Knicks and share in a moment that belongs to all of us.”
What about bars?
None of those options appeal? The team shared an “Official Playoff Bar Network” on their website, listing spots across the five boroughs and beyond where fans can go to watch the games with other neighborhood fans.
Here is a list of the bars named by the team:
- Manhattan
- Amity Hall
- Compton Ale House
- Goldie’s Tavern
- Harlem Tavern
- Hurley’s Saloon
- Jack Doyle’s
- John Sullivan’s
- Legends
- Mustang Harry’s
- Penn 6
- Rocco’s
- Stout
- Ulysses
- The Celly
- Tailor Public House
- Inwood Bar & Grill
- Barrow Street Alehouse
- Macdougal Street Alehouse
- Soho Room
- Tavern on Reade
- Brooklyn
- Queens
- Break Bar
- Pig Beach BBQ
- One Station Plaza
- Rivercrest
- Bronx
- The Last Stop
- Rambling House
- Staten Island
- New Jersey
- Hudson Hall (Jersey City)
- The Shepherd and The Knucklehead (Hoboken)
Watch parties are also being held on Long Island.
