Madison Square Garden is roleplaying as Fort Knox for the day.
ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania was stopped by the Secret Service outside MSG in the lead-up to Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Monday.
“I was actually stopped by the Secret Service… because my AirPod fell and the Secret Service came up to me and said, ‘Hey, Secret Service, you’re going to have to get out of this intersection,” Charania said on “NBA Today.”
The security is tighter for Game 3 due to President Donald Trump’s expected attendance.
Fans planning to go to the game have been asked to arrive two hours early to go through a TSA-style magnetometers and multiple checkpoints.
A no-bag policy is also in place for Monday’s game.
Knicks fans accustomed to watching playoff games outside of MSG will also have to find somewhere new due to a multi-block perimeter around the arena being closed off. There will be an added watch party in Bryant Park.
“The NYPD in coordination with the Secret Service made the decision for Game 3, where we have a presidential visit, that we could not support watch parties right outside of the Garden,” police commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference. “We are looking forward to bringing back watch parties for Game 4.
“But I think New Yorkers are used to presidents coming to town, and they understand that that generally means lockdowns of areas and that’s what you’re going to see tonight at the Garden.”
Players are also affected by the added security, with teams expected to undergo TSA-like screening before entering the arena.
Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox said it’s “inconvenient for the people that’s got to play”
Knicks players also talked about Trump’s attendance and the added security, but seemed less bothered by it.
“Cool, I guess,” Knicks center Mitchell Robinson said. “We can still get out there and play [no matter] who’s here and who’s not.”