What we're watching
• All eyes are on New York for tonight’s Game 3 of the NBA Finals, where the Knicks lead the San Antonio Spurs 2-0 and are two wins away from the championship. Tonight’s game tips off at 8:30 p.m. ET.
• Officials have ramped up security at Madison Square Garden, as President Donald Trump and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani are expected to attend the game.
• The first NBA Finals game at Madison Square Garden since 1999 comes a day after six people were wounded in a stabbing at Penn Station, directly under the arena.
Watch parties outside MSG canceled, but fans have other options
Watch parties for Game 3 of the NBA Finals will not be held outside Madison Square Garden on Monday night, but fans in New York City have other options to take in the game.
Watch parties will be held at Wollman Rink in Central Park, Bryant Park and Brooklyn Bowl, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference Monday.
With heightened security measures in place ahead of President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s expected arrival at the game, authorities are urging fans to stay out of the area unless they have a ticket.
“The message is simple: celebrate the Knicks, but avoid the MSG area tonight if you do not have tickets for the game or some other valid reason to be there tonight,” Tisch said.
Watch parties are expected to resume outside of Madison Square Garden for Game 4, Tisch said.
Knicks fans take to the streets following Game 1 and 2 wins
The New York Knicks have a 2-0 series lead over the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals and their fans have been showing their excitement throughout the city.
While Games 1 and 2 happened in San Antonio, Texas, Knicks fans still took to the streets of New York to show their enthusiasm for their team’s lead.
Last week after the Knicks won Game 1, CNN’s Omar Jimenez captured the electrifying scene outside of Madison Square Garden.
It was a similar scene on Friday night after the Knicks won Game 2.
President Donald Trump is expected to make an appearance at Game 3, which is set for Monday night at Madison Square Garden.
Security enhancements including anti-scale fencing, vehicle mitigation barriers, crowd-control infrastructure and other protective measures have been installed around the arena.
New York Secret Service head "super confident" in Monday night security
Matt McCool, the special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s New York field office, told CNN’s Mark Morales he is confident in the agency’s plan for a major sporting event with a presidential visit in the nation’s largest city.
Five-block area around Madison Square Garden will be locked down for president's visit
A five-block area around Madison Square Garden will be on virtual lockdown during President Donald Trump’s visit for Monday night’s NBA Finals game.
“The NYPD, in coordination with the Secret Service, made the decision for Game 3, where we have a presidential visit, that we could not support watch parties right outside of the Garden,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference.
No one without an “authorized reason” will be allowed in the area from West 30th to West 35th streets, between Seventh and Eighth avenues, Tisch said. Madison Square Garden — and Penn Station beneath it, which serves more than 630,000 passengers a day, according to Amtrak — sits in that zone, between West 31st and West 33rd streets.
“I think New Yorkers are used to presidents coming to town, and they understand that that generally means lockdowns of areas, and that’s what you’re going to see tonight at the Garden,” Tisch said.
Watch parties outside Madison Square Garden will resume for Game 4, when the president is not scheduled to attend, she said.
“The plan will be modeled after Times Square New Year’s Eve, one of the most joyous nights of the year.”
Fans advised to arrive 2 hours early for NBA Finals game at MSG to clear security
Fans attending tonight’s Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs should plan to arrive at Madison Square Garden at least two hours before tip-off to clear enhanced security screening, organizers said.
“Starting at 4 p.m., no one will be allowed inside the secured area unless they have a ticket to the game, a train ticket, they are going to a business inside the area, they have credentials or they have some other authorized reason to be there,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference Monday.
Fans should expect “TSA-style screening procedures” and, in a change from regular MSG rules, a strict no-bag policy will be in effect.
“We do not want you to miss tip-off, so please leave backpacks, purses, handbags, briefcases and other containers at home,” said Matt McCool, the special agent in charge of the US Secret Service’s New York Field Office.
Other prohibited items include firearms and ammunition, laser pointers, selfie sticks, balloons and bicycles.
As many as 40 magnetometers from the Secret Service may be set up to screen the thousands of attendees, McCool said. Security enhancements are being installed around the venue, including anti-scale fencing and road barriers.
Madison Square Garden seats roughly 19,500 people.
Some Knicks fans say Trump's MSG visit is overshadowing Game 3
Some Knicks fans gathered outside Madison Square Garden said they wish President Donald Trump would stay away from Game 3 on Monday night, the team’s first home game of the NBA Finals. The arena and surrounding area are expected to be under heavy security because of Trump’s attendance.
“I don’t really think Trump should even be here, to honest with you,” Ryan Wang told CNN Sunday. “He doesn’t even count himself as a New Yorker. No reason for him to be here at all.”
Hundreds of barricades were being set up around the arena early Monday morning, part of stepped-up security measures.
A popular fan watch party outside Madison Square Garden, which has attracted thousands of fans, will not be held this time in order to accommodate security demands, officials announced over the weekend.
Lance Thompson, a Knicks fan who had hoped to attend the watch party, said he was disappointed, noting that many people cannot afford tickets to the game and have relied on the watch party to celebrate with other fans.
“Personally, I think it’s kind of a shame. We’ve been waiting for this for how long?” Thompson said. “A lot of people can’t afford to get into the game. I’m one of those people, so I was actually looking forward to going to one of these watch parties.”
Fans with tickets are preparing well ahead of tip-off. Ebony Watson and her girlfriend plan to arrive at the Garden by 3 p.m. in hopes of getting inside smoothly.
“I’m trying to see if I could get out of work early, and we got a hotel,” Watson told CNN. “We paid a lot of money for that hotel because we know it’s going to be crazy. Trump is coming, there is going to be a lot of security, and I have a strong feeling they’re going to win tomorrow, so it’s going to be extra crazy.”
Law enforcement officials hold security briefing ahead of Game 3 of NBA Finals
The New York Police Department and US Secret Service are holding a news conference in the wake of a stabbing last night at New York’s Penn Station that left six people injured. Penn Station is directly below Madison Square Garden where the New York Knicks will host the San Antonio Spurs for Games 3 and 4 of the NBA Finals tonight and Wednesday.
President Donald Trump plans to attend tonight’s game which caused law enforcement to ramp up security around the arena.
A suspect in the stabbing is in custody, according to a law enforcement official.
Penn Station is a main connecting point for city subway trains and passenger rail to New Jersey and Long Island.
Heavy security for Monday game intensified by presidential visit
Even before Sunday’s stabbing incident near Madison Square Garden brought renewed attention to security concerns, the NYPD was already planning intense security.
New York has not hosted an NBA Finals game since 1999, before 9/11 and the proliferation of new security technology like social media monitoring and drones.
President Donald Trump’s plans to attend Monday night’s game added another level of complication to the security plans. The Secret Service will be in charge of screening spectators, who may need to arrive two hours before tipoff, a law enforcement official with knowledge of the planning told CNN.
A watch party originally planned to be held outside the Garden during Monday’s game was cancelled after law enforcement said it could not be accommodated. Parties will take place in other parts of the city, including Bryant Park and Central Park.
Read more: What it takes to keep the area around ‘The World’s Most Famous Arena’ secure during the NBA Finals
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani will attend tonight's game but no plans to meet Trump
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani will attend Monday night’s NBA Finals game at Madison Square Garden but plans to keep his distance from President Donald Trump, who is also expected to attend.
Mamdani will not sit courtside, a spokesperson said.
City Hall declined to say how much Mamdani paid for the ticket, but the spokesperson said the mayor paid out of pocket and plans to attend with friends.
Mamdani dismissed the prospect of crossing paths with Trump.
“I will be in a very different section of the stadium,” Mamdani told reporters Thursday. “I think we look forward to welcoming any New Yorker who is excited for the Knicks to have that chance to win that championship.”
It is the first home game of the series for the New York Knicks, who face the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3. The event, expected to draw thousands of fans, will be under heavy security ahead of the president’s visit.
Mamdani has joined fans inside the Garden in the lead-up to the Finals. He also attended the Knicks’ Game 2 against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Witness describes heavy police presence at Penn Station after stabbing
A witness who arrived at Penn Station just after the stabbing Sunday night described a heavy police presence at the scene, according to CNN affiliate Spectrum News NY1.
The witness did not see the incident but saw a “huge number of police officers” in the area afterward, as well as a person being wheeled away on a stretcher with bandages around their head.
Despite the stabbing, he said he still feels safe in New York compared with other cities and countries he has visited.
Stabbing near Madison Square Garden heightens security concerns ahead of NBA Finals
Security concerns at Madison Square Garden – which will host Game 3 of the NBA Finals tonight with President Donald Trump in attendance – were heightened after a stabbing near the venue Sunday night.
Six people were stabbed at an entrance to the Penn Station rail complex on Seventh Avenue – which includes access to the New York Subway, commuter rail and Amtrak – according to the New York City Fire Department. The injuries were not life-threatening, but all of the victims were taken to hospitals, the department said.
A suspect is in custody but has not been named by police.
The New York Police Department and Secret Service are scheduled to speak to reporters this morning at 8:30 a.m. to discuss security preparations at Madison Square Garden, which is located directly above Penn Station.
“My heart is with everyone who was injured, their loved ones, and all those shaken by this unacceptable violence. I’m wishing each of the victims a full and speedy recovery,” New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a statement.
CNN’s Mark Morales and Gloria Pazmino contributed to this report.
