With the New York Knicks making their first NBA Finals appearance this millennium, fans are trying to find the best ways to catch the action starting Wednesday night with Game 1.
Two new ways to watch the Knicks take on the Spurs in San Antonio were announced Tuesday — one of which is free.
For those looking to watch a game at Madison Square Garden but can’t afford the astronomical prices for tickets to Games 3 and 4 when the Knicks are playing at home, there is an alternative. The “world’s most famous arena” will be hosting watch parties inside, with tickets going for $10.
The proceeds of the ticket sales go to the Garden of Dreams Foundation. But anyone who didn’t act fast (very, very fast) the tickets were already sold out within minutes. Tickets for the watch party were listed on sites like StubHub Tuesday evening for at least $40 — and some nearing $200.
The free option will be held at Central Park, where there will be a watch party at SummerStage. While there was no cost, anyone looking to go to that watch party was required to successfully register online.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani was asked Tuesday about if and where New Yorkers could gather, since the NYPD had lobbied against permits for outdoor events — like the parties from earlier rounds, which they said were expensive to protect.
“It’s not a question of if — it’s a question of where,” said Mamdani. “I think you can feel the magic in the air and excitement across our city for the Finals.”
A statement from the mayor’s office later Tuesday afternoon said Mamdani was “excited that the Knicks will be hosting NBA Finals watch parties — including one inside the Garden and one at Central Park. Our administration is proud to support these efforts.”
As for the rest of Knicks fandom, 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 in their neighborhood with other 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 Shephard and The Knucklehead (Hoboken)
