Knicks cancel – The New York Knicks said they declined a permit from New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s office for an outside watch party during Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs. The decision means there will be no public gathering outside Madison Squa
Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden, the stakes are already enormous: the Knicks host Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs, with Donald Trump not expected to be at the arena.
But before tipoff can even become the only headline, the Knicks have brought a different fight into the spotlight—one about who gets to celebrate.
In a statement released just before Game 4 began. the Knicks addressed why there will not be a watch party outside of the Garden. They said Madison Square Garden and the New York Knicks declined to use the permit granted by Mayor Mamdani’s office because only 1. 000 people would be allowed into the area and those attendees would need to be ticketed. while “tens of thousands of people who want to come to The Garden to celebrate the Knicks out in the cold” would not have access.
The team said it did not think it was fair “to just allow a small group to celebrate outside The Garden when everybody else was being shut out.”
For many fans, the timing is what makes the decision feel so jarring. With New York looking to push Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs to the edge. a Game 4 win would swing the series further toward the Knicks—New York would take a 3-1 series lead and move one victory away from ending the franchise’s long NBA title drought.
Instead, the outside atmosphere many supporters envisioned is off the table, and the decision has sparked a wild feud between Knicks owner James Dolan and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
The Knicks’ stance leaves one obvious question hanging over Wednesday night: whether any change is possible if the NBA Finals brings another game back to New York. The franchise acknowledged that things could shift if there is another game in the city.
A Knicks win in Game 4 does more than tilt the series—it opens a path to a potential title in a very different place. With a victory in Game 4, the possibility grows that New York could win the NBA title in San Antonio in Game 5 on Saturday.
New York Knicks San Antonio Spurs 2026 NBA Finals Madison Square Garden watch party Zohran Mamdani James Dolan Victor Wembanyama Game 4 Donald Trump