NEW YORK, June 8 (Reuters) – Pedestrian traffic will be restricted for several blocks surrounding Madison Square Garden on Monday, as U.S. President Donald Trump attends Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs.
The Knicks will play their first Finals home game in 27 years, riding a stunning 13-game postseason winning streak. They return home following a pair of road wins that put them up 2-0 in the best-of-seven Finals, and the five boroughs were buzzing with anticipation with tickets fetching sky-high prices on resale platforms.
Trump’s planned attendance ratcheted up security plans over the weekend, and on Monday the New York Police Department said pedestrians without an “authorized reason” would not be allowed inside a secure area around the arena between West 35th and 30th Streets and Sixth and Eighth Avenues beginning 4-1/2 hours before the 8:30 p.m. ET (0030 GMT) tipoff.
“With tonight’s presidential visit, there will be extra security measures in and around MSG that the NYPD and Secret Service have planned together,” NYPD said in a statement posted to social media.
“No one will be allowed inside the secure area unless you have a ticket to the game, a train ticket, are going to a business inside the area, have credentials, or have some other authorized reason to be there,” it said.
Those entering the secure area will be screened and will only be permitted to enter through a handful of access points.
The Secret Service previously urged ticketholders to arrive two hours early to the venue long known as the “World’s Most Famous Arena,” which sits atop the busiest transit hub in the United States, Penn Station.
Fans should expect “Secret Service-level security screening” with a no-bag policy.
The watch party for fans that has been held outside MSG for previous playoff games will not take place on Monday due to security concerns, the NYPD said on Sunday.
Trump has attended several high-profile sporting events in his second term, including the U.S. Open tennis men’s final across town in Flushing, Queens, where thousands of ticketholders missed the start of the match as security checks related to his attendance caused confusion and slowed entry.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
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