Police took 23 people into custody near Madison Square Garden after New York Knicks fans poured into the streets to celebrate the team's Game 2 win over the Spurs. Thousands of supporters, many dressed in blue and orange, packed the area around the arena as watch parties lit up the city, and the gathering outside the Garden quickly grew into one of the night's biggest scenes.
The celebration outside the Garden almost did not happen at all. The event nearly was called off after several arrests followed Game 1 on Wednesday, when crowds outside the venue got out of hand. With the team back home and fans eager to welcome it, large numbers turned out again on the night of Game 2, testing the city's patience for postgame revelry for a second time in a matter of days.
Video shared on the Citizen app showed officers trying to disperse large crowds after the final buzzer. Some fans who got a little too excited spilled into the roadway, and at one point a person was seen climbing a light pole above the crowd. The 23 people taken into custody were detained near 32nd Street and 7th Avenue, and police said charges against them are still pending.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch issued a blunt warning to fans tempted to take the revelry too far. Damaging property or acting like the rules do not apply to you is not the flex you think it is, she said. It is an arrest. It is a bill for the damage. And it is a fast way to end the night badly, the commissioner added, drawing a sharp line between celebrating and crossing into disorder.
For all the focus on crowd control, the night was first and foremost a celebration for a fan base that had been waiting to welcome the team back to Madison Square Garden. The game itself took Knicks fans through every emotion, and the final result, a win, made the wait worth it for the supporters who had filled the streets and the watch parties around the city.
With Game 3 set for Monday, Tisch urged fans to keep the festivities in check. She appealed to supporters not to be the person who spoils the fun for everyone else, a pointed reference to the small number whose behavior had already led to arrests on two straight game nights outside the arena. The message was aimed at keeping the next celebration from ending in more handcuffs.
The back-to-back nights of arrests outside the Garden have added an unwanted complication to an otherwise jubilant playoff run, even as the team and its supporters look ahead. For now, the 23 people detained after Game 2 face pending charges, while the city prepares for another large crowd when the series returns home on Monday night for Game 3.