Angry New York Knicks fans, after watching their team lose to the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, lashed out against Spurs fans in violent and chaotic scenes in the streets around Madison Square Garden on Monday night. Despite the increased security with the attendance of Donald Trump, riots still started even before the match took place, as hundreds of fans couldn't enter into Madison Square Garden.
According to the New York Post, fans started vandalising the city, breaking tree branches, hitting windshields of parked cars and yellow taxis, and even breaking down a bus sign that was then used as a weapon, as shown in a video.
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Other videos in social media show Knicks fans chasing and assaulting Spurs fans. At least one person was arrested for assaulting a police officer and six were cuffed for disorderly conduct
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Last weekend, while the Knicks played in San Antonio, multiple fans still gathered around Madison Square Garden for a watch party, which resulted in multiple arrests, and a police officer being punched in the face and required stitches. NY mayor Zohran Mamdani said that "New Yorkers are rightfully excited about the Knicks' historic Finals run, and we want fans to celebrate this moment together. There is, however, no place for violence, and no tolerance for attacks on police officers" (via CBS).
The Knicks play again on Wednesday night, and they will then move back to San Antonio for Game 5. If the Knicks were to win the upcoming two matches, they would win the NBA Championship, first since 1973, in San Antonio.