{"id":1864,"date":"2026-06-11T04:37:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T04:37:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=1864"},"modified":"2026-06-11T04:37:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T04:37:13","slug":"knicks-fans-think-trump-cursed-the-team-so-they-burned-sage-and-protested-the-barricades-outside-msg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=1864","title":{"rendered":"Knicks Fans Think Trump Cursed the Team. So They Burned Sage and Protested the Barricades Outside MSG"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\tAt 3 p.m. on Wednesday, just hours before Game 4 of the Knicks vs. Spurs NBA Finals, several New Yorkers were spotted outside Madison Square Garden cleansing the air with copal and sage to manifest better luck for their hometown team.<\/p>\n

Read more Spike Lee, Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller, Larry David, Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet and More Watch New York Knicks Pull Off Biggest Comeback in NBA Finals History<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe\u2019re saging the Madison!\u201d said Deisy, a woman dressed in a bohemian orange-and-blue ensemble (a nod to the Knicks\u2019 signature colors) and accessorized with layers of necklaces and ceremonial ornaments. \u201cWe had really bad energy in this space on Monday. MAGA Mussolini was here \u2014 and we gotta get rid of that energy!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMAGA Mussolini\u201d is, of course, a reference to President Donald Trump, who became the first sitting U.S. president to attend the NBA Finals on Monday night. His appearance drew immediate backlash, with thousands of fans booing as he appeared on the Jumbotron during the National Anthem. Later in the night, videos circulated on social media appearing to show Trump dozing off while seated next to New York Knicks owner James Dolan and his granddaughter, Kai Trump. (White House spokesperson Davis Ingle dismissed the claims: \u201cAnyone ridiculously claiming the President was asleep is either lying or has severe brain damage.\u201d)<\/p>\n

Variety <\/em>spoke to dozens of fervent Knicks fans and spectators in the perimeter of Madison Square Garden on Wednesday afternoon ahead of Game 4. After the team started the series with a 2-0 lead, and then losing Game 3, the Knicks hive is pointing fingers at Trump for bringing \u201cbad voodoo,\u201d \u201cweird energy\u201c and \u201cout-of-the-blue fights that weren\u2019t happening before.\u201c <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cHe\u2019s a curse to every team that he picks,\u201d said Avery, a Knicks fan decked out in an oversized gold chain and holding a sign that read: \u201cF*ck Trump. Let\u2019s go Knicks.\u201d \u201cHe picked the Chiefs to win. They lost. He went to a Mets game. They lost. He went to the Knicks game, picked them to win. We lost.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tPartisan politics aside, the heightened security on Monday night prevented Knicks fans from attending the massive watch parties that took place outside the Garden during Games 1 and 2. A sprawling 12-block barrier, enforced by hundreds of NYPD officers and security personnel, blocked entry to anyone without a game ticket or \u201cbusiness specific to that area.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tSadat, one of dozens of vendors selling Knicks merch outside the perimeter, said the barricades \u201cabsolutely\u201d hurt business for both independent sellers and brick-and-mortar shops hoping to capitalize on the crowds. \u201cWhen you have to walk three blocks this way, four blocks that way, it makes a difference,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

For Game 4, even with no Secret Service agents in sight, the barrier remained in place. Madison Square Garden requested a permit for a watch party for 500 to 999 fans, and Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the city approved one for 999. But Dolan ultimately decided to cancel the event.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cMr. Dolan has now decided to cancel the watch party,\u201d the mayor wrote on X. \u201cI know this is breaking hearts across our city, but if there\u2019s one thing Knicks fans don\u2019t need permission for, it\u2019s showing up for our team wherever we may be \u2014 no matter the block or the borough. Knicks in five.\u201d<\/p>\n

One hip-hop artist operating a DJ stand inside the perimeter said young fans were looking to be part of something bigger. \u201cThat\u2019s cool \u2014 they\u2019ve got energy. What\u2019s missing is accountability from the old heads to tell them, \u2018Young boy, chill out!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more \u2018Stop! That! Train!\u2019 Review: RuPaul Presides Over an Irreverent, Appealing Disaster-Movie Parody<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tNot everyone objected to the heightened security. Knicks fan Row Jones said he was fine with the barriers because \u201csafety is number one.\u201d He said officers were working overtime \u201cto keep people safe\u201d and \u201cdoing the best with what they have.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIt took time to find an officer willing to talk. Hundreds assembled for duty in Herald Square around 2 p.m. before taking positions outside the barricades in front of the Garden. Most declined to speak, with some saying they\u2019d been instructed to stay quieter than usual during the unusually hectic shift. Then there was Officer Niwa, who willingly fielded questions across from Moynihan Hall. His partner, mopping sweat from his forehead in the muggy 86-degree heat, cracked: \u201cHe\u2019ll talk to you. He don\u2019t care.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s crazy, I\u2019ve never seen New York like this before. This is insane,\u201d Niwa said, revealing that most officers were working 16-hour shifts. \u201cWe had some small incidents [during Game 3], but nothing crazy. And that\u2019s fine, we\u2019re going to take that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tFrom the official watch party in Bryant Park to fans listening on the radio outside maxed-out bars in the Financial District, Knicks fans gathered wherever they could to experience the game together. At Pig Beach BBQ in Astoria, some waited more than two hours to get inside, where ESPN cameras were set up near the outdoor screen to capture the crowd\u2019s energetic reactions. But while fans found ways to make do, some remained fixated on the restrictions around MSG that dampened the spirit of the moment.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cHonestly, it\u2019s the antithesis of what New York should be about. Just let us be free to celebrate and support our team. We\u2019re not caged animals!\u201d Knicks fan Pierre said, wearing a gold chain with a platano charm (a good-luck symbol honoring Dominican player Karl-Anthony Towns). \u201cI understand there are some bad apples, but that doesn\u2019t represent the entire Knicks fan base.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Steven Spielberg Says James Bond Movies \u2018Constantly Turned Me Down\u2019 and \u2018If They Asked Me Now\u2019 to Direct the Answer Would Be: \u2018You Can\u2019t Afford Me\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Knicks fans blamed Donald Trump and the barricades around Madison Square Garden for the Game 3 loss against the Spurs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1863,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[290],"tags":[1597,1045,1598,1299],"class_list":["post-1864","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-scene","tag-madison-square-garden","tag-nba","tag-new-york-knicks","tag-zohran-mamdani"],"yoast_head":"\nKnicks Fans Think Trump Cursed the Team. 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