Once again, Midtown Manhattan belonged to Knicks fans Wednesday night after winning Game 1 against the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA finals.
It was the team’s 12th straight playoff victory, and brings them one game closer to an NBA Championship.
There were watch parties in every corner of the five boroughs, with the nucleus at Madison Square Garden.
What You Need To Know
Knicks fans took to the streets around Madison Square Garden to celebrate winning Game 1 of the NBA Finals
The Knicks are now three games away from winning their first NBA championship in over a half century
Game 2 of the NBA Finals is on Friday, and then the series will come back to the Garden on Monday
The $10 tickets to watch the game in the arena on the Jumbotron while the Knicks are on the road sold out in less than an hour.
Knicks fans in attendance said everyone was locked in to every pass, every shot, every play and every possession.
“It was like every shot, every play, even the good ones or the bad ones. Everybody ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ and jeers. Some people next to me were grabbing my arms and I didn’t even know them. It was crazy in there,” one fan said.
“No one wavered — we didnt think, even though Brunson went down and got hurt, no one said, ‘Oh, its over,’ or anything like that. We just kept the strong faith like we’ve been doing all year,” another added.
Outdoor watch parties on the plaza outside of the Garden returned for the finals, after permits for the end of the Eastern Conference Finals were denied by the NYPD.
With another come-from-behind victory, this time down 14 in the middle of the third quarter, Knicks fans took to the streets around Madison Square Garden to celebrate.
The NYPD was prepared, with baricades lining Seventh and Eighth Avenues, as well as the surrounding streets, to help with crowd control.
Police said out of the hundreds celebrating, a small group got out of hand and was taken into custody.
In total, seven people were arrested, five issues summons and two individuals were charged.
Traffic around Madison Square Garden was diverted as fans celebrated being three wins away from the Knicks’ first championship title in over a half a century.
“True grit of this city, resiliency, resiliency, resiliency. That’s what it comes down to — never have any loss that this team has gone through so much over the last since ’99 to now, that there’s no reason why we can’t pull through,” explained confident Knicks fan Raul Aguilar.
The excitement carried over into Thursday morning’s commute as fans soaked in the Game 1 victory and got ready for Game 2.
“It is crazy over here, but it is awesome to see all the fans and people out here celebrating. It’s great,” said Knicks fan Ryan Scott. “I mean, they have won 12 in a row now — there is no reason not to believe in this team.”
Game 2 of the NBA Finals is on Friday. Then the series will come back to the Garden on Monday.