Open Thread: The sights and sounds of Madison Square Garden
New York, New York, the town so nice they named it twice. Madison Square Garden is considered the mecca of sports arena, and the New York Knicks pulled out all the stops for their first Finals home game in twenty-seven years.
The Garden always boasts celebrities and Game 3 of the NBA Finals was no exception. From steadfast fans Spike Lee, Fat Joe, Ben Stiller, and Timothée Chalamet to televison personalities Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni, during each break in play, the camera found well-known faces.
The arena was rife with sports personalities. Eli Manning, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Rick Pitino, Francisco Lindor, John Franco, Juan Soto, Todd Zeile, Woody Johnson, Jonathan Quick, Adam Fox and Vincent Trocheck were seen throughout the game.
Speaking of sports greats, it couldn’t be a Knicks Finals series without former players and legends. Patrick Ewing, Walt “Clyde” Frazier, Allan Houston, Gerald Wilkins, Al Harrington, Bill Bradley, Richie Guerin, Baron Davis, Tim Thomas, Charles Smith, Steve Novak, Raymond Felton, Larry Johnson, John Starks, Latrell Sprewell, Marcus Camby all greeted the crowd. Jeremy Lin brought the “Linsanity” to MSG.
But fame isn’t limited to the audience.
New York , and arts and cultural hub featured a bevy of in-arena talent.
The national anthem was sung by Avery Wilson.
Wilson, a singer and actor, most recently portrayed the Scarecrow in the 2024 revival of the The Wiz on Broadway.
Broadway, one of New York’s most popular attractions, was featured during a commercial break. A trio from Hamilton performed at center court.
As if Broadway stars, sports legends, and celebrities weren’t enough, the Knicks pulled out all the stops and surprised attendees with a halftime performance by Cardi B.
Of course, the best known celebrity of the night was President Donald Trump. His attendance altered the fan experience considerably. Considering the alterations to schedule, the timing of the game went off without a hitch.
In the end, the most memorable sound was the silence of the over 19,000 fans walking away empty-handed after the Spurs took their first win of the series.
Game 4 tips off at 8:30 EST/7:30 CST tonight.
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