The plans for a Monday night Knicks watch party at MSG for Game 3 of the NBA Finals have been doused amid amped-up security with President Trump due in the house.
The NYPD and US Secret Service said traffic around the World’s Most Famous Arena will be shut down, and state-of-the-art security and surveillance measures will be in place inside and outside the venue for the critical game.
“This is a historic run, and it’s great to see the energy and pride Knicks fans are bringing to New York City,” Matt McCool, special agent in charge of the Secret Service, said in a statement.
“At the same time, our responsibility is to ensure the highest level of public safety,” he said. “After careful coordination and assessment, the Secret Service and the NYPD jointly determined that outdoor watch parties could not be accommodated in the immediate vicinity of Madison Square Garden.”
Other watch parties are cleared for Central Park and the Brooklyn Bowl, a City Hall spokesperson said.
“With President Trump attending Game 3, the Secret Service and the NYPD have determined that a watch party cannot be held outside Madison Square Garden due to the additional security requirements that come with a presidential visit,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “Our administration is proud to support these events and create opportunities for fans across the city to be part of this incredible Finals run. Let’s go Knicks!”
Security at the Garden on Monday will include “both pedestrian and vehicular hard closures,” the feds said.
“Physical security enhancements are being installed around Madison Square Garden, including anti-scaling fencing, vehicular mitigation barriers, crowd-control infrastructure and other protective measures designed to ensure a safe and secure environment,” spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said.
Fans with coveted tickets to the game are advised to show up at the gate at least two hours early to make sure they get to their seats in time — with wait times potentially up to three hours.
A strict no bag policy will be enforced, and no storage lockers will be available to store the dozens of items banned by the Secret Service.
A spokesperson for the NYPD confirmed in a statement Sunday that the security measures were planned with the feds.
“We expect watch parties at Madison Square Garden to resume for Game 4,” the police rep said.
The Post first reported last week that Trump would attend the Monday night game, with the Knicks up 2-0 on the San Antonio Spurs and two games from their first title since 1973.
They go into Game 3 of the best-of-seven series on a 13-0 playoff win streak after they edged out the Spurs 105-104 in Texas Friday.
The improbable run has seen thousands flock to watch parties outside Madison Square Garden, Summer State at Central Park, Hudson Yards, Brooklyn Bowl and watering holes throughout the city.
However, plans for a Monday night bash outside the arena were dashed after Trump announced plans to attend the game.
“The permit for the Plaza33 Game 3 watch party was denied by the city’s permitting office in consultation with the NYPD,” an MSG spokesperson said in a statement.
Trump’s presence means it could take fans with the highly-coveted tickets up to three hours just to get through the doors.
“If you don’t have to work or travel in the area, you should stay as far away as possible,” one Manhattan cop told The Post.
“There will be so much security in the area it will be almost impossible to move around, especially when the game ends and people come from all over,” he added.
With no watch party, the area outside the Garden will instead be filled with TV news trucks and Secret Service security facilities, law enforcement sources said.
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