It won’t be “Knicks in four,” but the story isn’t over yet.
Monday night was a letdown for fans of the hometown team, who lost to the San Antonio Spurs, 115-111, at Madison Square Garden in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. That broke the Knicks’ 13-game playoff winning streak as they look to clinch their first league title since 1973. The teams are now 2-1 Knicks in the best-of-seven series, with their next game on Wednesday night back at the Garden, before they head down to Texas for Game 5 on Saturday.
Several blocks around MSG were closed for much of Monday due to heightened security tied to President Donald Trump’s attendance at the game. As a result, a watch party was not held right outside the arena, disappointing fans who’d hoped to be close to the action.
But that didn’t stop thousands of New Yorkers from coming out in droves to other watch parties across the city. Gatherings took place at Bryant and Central parks, Brooklyn Bowl and countless bars and restaurants, bringing people together in an atmosphere of excitement and suspense amid the Knicks’ historic run.
Thousands of Knicks fans packed into Bryant Park for a NBA finals Game 3 watch party, June 8, 2026. Credit: Ben Fractenberg/The City Reporter
“It’s amazing. It’s like the whole city’s become vibrant,” said Kwesi Afriyie-Blay, a 26-year-old Harlem resident at Bryant Park. “You walk down the street, everyone’s in Knicks colors. People who have never even played a game of basketball asking you, ‘What’s what’s going on?’ It’s been like a facelift for the city.’”
Thousands of Knicks fans packed into Bryant Park for a NBA finals Game 3 watch party, June 8, 2026. Credit: Ben Fractenberg/The City Reporter
“It’s just been like this beautiful domino effect of everyone being really proud to be from here, everyone being proud to even exist in this space,” said Bed-Stuy resident Eva-Maria Kareneva, 24, at the same watch party. “And it unifies everyone because no one’s asking questions, you’re in Knicks’ colors and jerseys, so everyone’s in it together.”
Thousands of Knicks fans packed into Bryant Park for a NBA finals Game 3 watch party, June 8, 2026. Credit: Ben Fractenberg/The City Reporter
Elsewhere in the crowd, 51-year-old Knicks fan Phyl Francis of Westchester County said he “probably [hasn’t] been this excited since 1999,” the last time the team was in the NBA Finals.
“This time is like magical,” Francis said. “Everything is set up magically for the Knicks to win this year. The energy has brought every walk of life together, all different people of backgrounds and nationalities. It’s been a wonderful thing.”
Knicks fans outside Bryant Park get ready for game 3 of the NBA finals, June 8, 2026. Credit: Ben Fractenberg/The City Reporter
Logan Ballantyne, also from Westchester, said he was impressed by veteran fans’ commitment to the Knicks over the decades.
“This is my first time seeing a final since I’ve been alive, so I’m really hoping for the best,” the 21-year-old said.
Knicks fans pack the streets around a Bryant Park watch party for game of the NBA finals, June 8, 2026. Credit: Ben Fractenberg/The City Reporter
Spurring on the Texans
Knicks fans weren’t the only ones out on the town rooting for their team Monday night.
At Yellow Rose, a Tex-Mex restaurant owned by two San Antonio natives in the East Village, Spurs loyalists Hailey Pruitt and her husband David Young cheered on the Silver and Black in a city awash in orange and blue.
Young, a 33-year-old bar lead at a San Antonio luxury hotel where the Knicks normally stay for away games, said visiting New York as a rival fan in this moment can feel like being “a lone wolf looking for food in the middle of a desert.”
Have riled-up Knicks fans bothered the couple while they’re here showing support for San Antonio?
“‘Harass’ is kind of a harsh term, but more, people are yelling in our faces, ‘Knicks in four!’” Young said. “That’s a pretty hopeful statement, I hear you. They’ve been one of the only other teams in the NBA that could go toe-to-toe with us and make us uncomfortable in our game.”
San Antonio Spurs fans David Young and Hailey Pruitt watch Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Yellow Rose in the East Village, June 8, 2026. Credit: Nancy Jiang/The City Reporter
At Doris, a Texan-owned bar in Bed-Stuy, 35-year-old Aniketh Yadav said he arrived from India on Monday for a wedding — his first time in the United States, though he’s been a Spurs fan for 15 years.
“It was funny because I told this in my visa interview in April, I was like, ‘Hopefully first [they] make it to the finals, and if I get the visa, I’ll go try and catch a game,’” he said.
Yadav said his wife found the bar on Reddit while looking for Spurs-friendly venues. “I’ve been holding on to my jersey all day in my pocket, but I never wore it,” he added.
Knicks fans show their love for Jalen Brunson during a NBA finals watch party in Bryant Park, June 8, 2026. Credit: Ben Fractenberg/The City Reporter
Knicks in 5?
Back at Bryant Park, Knicks fans held tight during the nailbiter of a game, especially during the closing minutes with three-pointers from Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby.
Knicks fans at a watch party in Bryant Park show their frustration at the end of game 3 of the NBA finals, June 8, 2026. Credit: Ben Fractenberg/The City Reporter
Even though the team ultimately lost, foreclosing a hoped-for sweep, fans are still expressing confidence the Knicks will bring home the championship.
Knicks fans in Bryant Park watch a tense ending to game 3 off the NBA finals, June 8, 2026. Credit: Ben Fractenberg/The City Reporter
“The city is electric right now, it’s just good for the city,” 30-year-old Queens resident Paul Johnson said. “When the Knicks win, it’s a win for the whole city, and this is something that we don’t know if we’re ever going to experience again in our lifetime. So we have to take advantage of this opportunity now.”
New York City officials say there will be a watch party outside MSG for Game 4.
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