Orange and blue fever has been spreading in New York City, as the hometown team of the Knicks competes in the NBA finals for the first time in 27 years.
Wearing a jersey and special airbrushed Knicks product bought outside their corner store, residents have been crowding the streets, hopping on taxis, and partying in subway cars like they’ve already won.
In general, the residents of New York are getting hot, so what better way to get rid of the fever than the ice bath that was the arrival of President Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden (MSG), in attendance of the third game of the Knicks against the Spurs.
After the Knicks’ Game 2 victory, the nation’s leader announced that he would become the first sitting president to attend an NBA Finals game, sparking online derision and city-wide concern that an ineffective leader it would bring bad luck on the famous field. And, if you’re a superstitious sports fan or have a connection to the world, they may have been right.
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Prior to the game, the US Secret Service blocked off the perimeter and canceled a public watch party that was being held that night outside MSG. In response, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who attended the game, organized a separate viewing event in Manhattan’s Bryant Park. Internet users began to prepare for his appearance, including a virus training how to boo properly President, with the caption “How to avoid the curse coming to the Knicks in Game 3 of the finals.”
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So when the national anthem started playing and the cameras panned to Trump in his personal box, the crowd was already loud. Even attendees of the Brant Park viewing party joined in the chorus, which spread throughout the city. But it wasn’t enough to stop Spurs, who would go on to win the match in a nail-biting game.
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Speaking to reporters outside Air Force One that night, Trump he said“I mean, I thought it was amazing, really. You mean when they had the camera on me? I thought it was great. Yes. It was definitely amazing. It was, I think, especially the cheers. It was huge and it was very enthusiastic.”
Trump has previously criticized the league for “liberal” player politics, and continued the sentiment in his Game 3 comments: “It tends to be a little left-wing, but it’s great fun. It’s great.”
