NBA Finals official watch parties in NYC are few, but the Knicks are turning any place with a TV into a go-to spot
Let's face it, getting a ticket for an NBA Finals game in New York City will be a tall order for almost everyone.
But that doesn't mean diehard Knicks fans can't still watch the series against the Spurs with hundreds, or even thousands, of their closest friends.
Welcome to the madness of watch parties, Big Apple-style.
MSG, SummerStage watch parties
Parked outside of Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night, Knicks fan Jonathan Soba, with sign in hand, was begging for NBA Finals tickets. But the price tag appeared to be prohibitive for him, as it has been for many other New Yorkers.
"I'm trying to see the game, but I value my rent a little bit more," Soba said. "Hey James Dolan, can you get me some tickets? Can you believe that Knicks tickets cost $3,000?"
But Soba did manage to get his hands on the next best thing -- tickets to the official Knicks Game 1 watch party inside Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night.
"I will be here at 5 o'clock just to chant a little more and go see a game," Soba said.
Tickets for the Garden watch party are sold out, but access to the Knicks' quest for their first championship in 53 years doesn't end there. SummerStage in Central Park will also hold a watch party on Wednesday. Tickets are free, but you have to pre-register.
Bars of all shapes and sizes will be showing the Finals
In addition, a handful of bars are also a part of the official watch parties, but every sports bar is getting in on the action. Slate on 21st Street in Manhattan is an immersive two-story venue with massive screens, and even a slide to get between floors.
"It's quite crazy. We have never seen anything like it," owner Telly Hatzigeorgiou said. "The phones are ringing off the hook. All the tables are sold out tomorrow."
Hatzigeorgiou called Tuesday night the calm before the storm as close to 1,000 people are expected in his establishment on Wednesday night.
"The past couple of weeks with the Knicks and their performance, the energy in this room, it's gotta be more than courtside at the Garden," he said.
No matter where you watch Game 1, most everyone in these parts is in agreement "Let's go Knicks!"
