Knicks fans should steer clear of MSG if they're not attending Game 3 of the NBA Finals tonight, NYPD says

Law enforcement officials have a straightforward message for fans ahead of Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the Knicks and Spurs on Monday night: stay away from Madison Square Garden unless you're attending the game. 

Security in the area will be extra tight as President Trump is expected to be in attendance. 

Security around MSG

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and Secret Service Special Agent Matt McCool said a security perimeter was being established Monday afternoon ahead of the 8:30 p.m. tip-off. The perimeter runs from West 30th Street to West 35th Street between Sixth and Eighth avenues. Seventh and Eighth will be closed to vehicular traffic and pedestrians starting at 4 p.m.

The only people allowed inside the perimeter will be game or train ticket holders, those going to a business inside the area or those with another authorized reason. Anyone entering the secured area will be screened by the NYPD.

Here are the five entry points into the area: 

• Sixth Avenue at West 32nd Street
• Sixth Avenue at West 33rd Street
• Seventh Avenue and West 29th Street
• Eighth Avenue and West 30th Street
• Eighth Avenue and West 34th Street

Former NYPD Deputy Commissioner Richard Esposito said fans should prepare for an unprecedented security prescence around the arena. 

"This is going to be the tightest security package you've ever seen at a Knicks game. There will probably be thousands of NYPD officers, hundreds of federal agents," he said.

Bars and restaurants within the secure zone will be allowed to operate, but with strict capacity limits, the NYPD said.

Strict no bag policy

There will also be a ban on all bags for fans going into the Garden. 

"Fans should make every effort to limit personal items to an absolute minimum," a post from the Knicks reads. 

That means no backpacks, briefcases, purses and handbags. 

McCool said there will be no storage for prohibited items outside the venue. 

"All attendees will pass through TSA-style magnetometer screening before entering the arena. I strongly encourage fans to arrive at MSG at least two hours before tip-off," he said.

No watch party outside MSG for Game 3

The briefing comes as the city, in consultation with the NYPD and Secret Service, made the decision not to permit a watch party outside the Garden on Monday night.  

"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 due to the security requirements associated with an event of this scale and the need to maintain a secure environment for protective operations," McCool previously said in a statement.

They added that even if the president departs the game early, the security perimeter will be maintained. 

Watch parties will be available at nearby Bryant Park, as well as Wollman Rink in Central Park, and the Brooklyn Bowl. Pre-registration is required. 

Officials at the Garden said the decision was not about the president.  

Tisch said fans can expect a watch party outside the arena for Game 4. 

"Avoid the area"

Tisch urged residents and visitors to stay away from the area around the Garden. 

"So the message is simple. Celebrate the Knicks, but avoid the MSG area tonight if you do not have tickets for the game or some other valid reason to be there tonight," she said. 

Tisch said travel at Penn Station won't be impacted. She and McCool both said residents and visitors should use public transportation to get to and from the station. 

"Our posture in and around Penn Station will not change. We have hundreds of officers assigned to Penn Station and 34th Street subway stops," NYPD Chief of Department Michael LiPetri said. 

"I'll just add to chief's answer. There will actually be more cops in and around the Penn Station area because the NYPD is doing such a large deployment to the Garden, both above ground and below ground," Tisch said. 

Travelers should use the entrances to Moynihan Station on the west side of Eighth Avenue on 31st and 33rd Streets because they will be outside the secured area.