Throughout the New York Knicks’ playoff run, thousands of deliriously happy fans have flooded the streets outside Madison Square Garden, often invoking a two-word rallying cry: “We outside.” They won’t be outside on Wednesday. After a day of finger-pointing by CEO James Dolan and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, it was announced that there would be no watch party outside of the “World’s Most Famous Arena.” So how did it come to be that Knicks fans would not be able congregate together to watch the game outside? What the plan was supposed to be Going into Monday, the city and the NYPD had restricted spontaneous gatherings outside the famed arena. Mamdani and his police department cited a range of reasons for the ban, including President Donald Trump’s attendance at Monday’s game. Ahead of Game 4 on Wednesday, the NYPD announced it would again prevent fans from gathering around MSG, unless they were going to the game or had “business specific to that area.” But this time, the city said it had approved a permit to allow 1,000 fans access to a watch party outside the Garden — a scaled-down version of previous viewing parties, which the NYPD had sought to have canceled for rowdiness, before later reversing course. Otherwise, fans would need an “authorized reason” to be inside a security perimeter that stretches for several blocks around the arena. While bars and restaurants would stay open, they were subject to “strict capacity limits,” police said. What happened instead Hours before the game on Wednesday, Knicks owner James Dolan indicated the watch party wouldn’t go forward, saying in an interview with WFAN just before 5 p.m. that they were not putting up screens for the watch party. “This is about celebrating the Knicks at MSG, the mecca of basketball. This is what the mayor’s office and the commissioner’s office is trying to kill. They don’t want the celebration,” Dolan said on WFAN’s The Craig Carton Show. Police outside MSG also confirmed to Telemundo 47 that there would be no watch party at the location. However, streets would still be closed. A spokesperson for Madison Square Garden said the blame rests with the city, saying that the event at Plaza33 “was not canceled” — because they had never agreed to the terms and conditions put forth by the city. “We simply said we are not putting up the screens,” the spokesperson said. A statement released by the Madison Square Garden Co. also accused Mamdani of transforming the streets around the arena into a “police state” in order to “freeze out fans from celebrating.” A city official shared with NBC New York a copy of the permit for the watch party, which allowed for a gathering of up to 1,000 people. “MSG requested a permit for a watch party for 500-999 fans. We approved that permit for 999 fans. Mr. Dolan has now decided to cancel the watch party,” Mamdani said in a post on X. A late statement from MSG said they declined to use the permit granted by the city “due to the fact that only 1,000 people would be allowed into the area and they would need to be ticketed, leaving the tens of thousands of people who want to come to The Garden to celebrate the Knicks out in the cold. We did not think it was fair to just allow a small group to celebrate outside The Garden when everybody else was being shut out.” Local businesses said restrictions hurt them The measures put in place enraged nearby restaurants and bars, as well as civil liberties groups. “It’s ruining my business,” said Angela Reilly, the owner of Molly Wee, an Irish pub near the arena. “I haven’t seen anything like this level of security in 46 years.” Molly Biklen, the legal director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, agreed the tactics seemed heavy-handed. “Crowd control for major events is reasonable, but historic moments are not carte blanche for overpolicing or excessive NYPD responses,” Biklen said. Crowd control vs. over-policing The conflict has also focused attention once again on the shaky alliance between the mayor and his police commissioner, Jessica Tisch. To some, the security restrictions appeared at odds with Mamdani’s broader agenda, which included improving access to public spaces and limiting how the NYPD polices major events. “The NYPD is historically extremely risk-averse to disorderly behavior by crowds, whether they be celebratory or protesting,” said Jeffrey Fagan, a law professor at Columbia University who studies policing. “The mayor now faces a difficult calculus between the strong emotions of Knicks fans and the political risks if crowd control isn’t airtight.” In recent days, members of Mamdani’s administration have pressed Tisch to allow some version of the watch parties to go forward outside Madison Square Garden, according to two people familiar with the meetings, who spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the meetings. Tisch, meanwhile, has advocated for the security perimeter, citing the need to control against crowds that have at times become violent and unruly. Some recent fan gatherings in Manhattan have led to dozens of arrests and several injuries to police officers. Following the Knicks′ loss Monday, at least 21 people were taken into custody. The NYPD also said it is currently searching for members of a group that ripped a San Antonio Spurs jersey off a man while punching and kicking him. Shaun Geddes, a Knicks fan who runs a popular podcast about the team, said he had celebrated multiple series-clinching victories outside the arena and found the vast majority of fans were respectful. “Then there’s a small group of people out there cosplaying as Knicks fans and doing performative things to go viral on TikTok,” Geddes added. “But being passionate as a Knicks fan doesn’t mean assaulting anyone.” In response to criticism about the closure, city officials have noted there isn’t a recent precedent for the position in which they now find themselves. The Knicks have not been to an NBA Finals since 1999. Most of the city’s other major sports teams play in the less-crowded outer boroughs or in New Jersey. But when the New York Rangers — who also play in the Garden— last won the Stanley Cup, in 1994, the NYPD took another approach to managing elated fans. Ahead of the game, police announced they would clear the area around the arena of potential projectiles, like metal trash cans or debris, but would allow fans to move freely. “We expect the fans to be extremely vocal,” Allen Hoehl, an NYPD chief at the time, said at a 1994 news conference. “If they want to go from here to there, we’ll escort them in any direction.” Secure zone still in place The security perimeter stretches from 29th Street to 35th Street between Sixth and Eighth avenues. The area will be closed to all vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Eighth Avenue will remain open to vehicles, but it could be closed off if police deem it necessary. The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser. ...read more read less