The New York Knicks are in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999 after a historic run through the first three rounds of the 2026 Playoffs, and the entire city is buzzing as the team is closer than ever to their first championship since 1973.
But it hasn’t just been Knicks fans who are excited about the Finals appearance, as most recently, it was New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani who spoke about the team’s recent run.
In a speech discussing new housing plans, the NYC mayor took time to discuss the franchise’s recent success and made a big announcement about the city’s plans for Knicks watch parties in the upcoming NBA Finals
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Announces Knicks Watch Parties For NBA Finals
GettyNew York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, alongside First Deputy Mayor of New York City Dean Fuleihan (R), speaks about the fiscal year 2027 budget in New York City on May 12, 2026. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP via Getty Images)
At a recent press conference, the recently elected Mamdani announced that the city is planning city-wide watch parties for the Knicks’ upcoming series in the 2026 NBA Finals. He revealed the news after congratulating the team on their first championship series appearance this century.
“We’re going to have watch parties across this city. We’re incredibly excited about those watch parties,” Mamdani said on Wednesday, May 27. “We’re excited about making it easier for New Yorkers to celebrate.”
Mamdani’s announcement about new Knicks watch parties for the NBA Finals comes after the city shut down the team’s traditional watch parties outside Madison Square Garden. New York Police Department officials said that the usual 7th Street watch parties outside the arena were getting out of hand, as multiple people were arrested following the rowdiness of crowns after recent Knicks’ wins.
“The NYPD will not support more watch parties outside the stadium, but we will continue to review requests to support parties at alternate sites, like Summer Stage,” an NYPD spokesperson said, per NBC New York.
Now, with Mamdani’s recent announcement, it looks like there will be new Knicks watch parties during the NBA Finals, but with new plans to increase safety and security as fans cheer on their team.
“New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said there will be Knicks watch parties citywide and there are plans to ensure safety. The move comes after NYPD announced that it would no longer support watch parties outside of Madison Square Garden following chaos and arrests at recent street celebrations,” CNN wrote in a social media post.
Knicks Finals Appearance Comes Amid Historic NBA Playoff Run
GettyCLEVELAND, OHIO – MAY 25: Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the New York Knicks celebrates with the Bob Cousy Trophy after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 130-93 in Game Four of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Rocket Arena on May 25, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio.
The Knicks got off to a slow start to the 2026 NBA Playoffs, as they saw themselves down 2-1 to the Atlanta Hawks in the first round. However, in the time since, New York has been on a historic run, winning their past 11 games, with their last loss coming more than a month ago.
They swept the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round and did the same against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the conference finals to advance to the championship series for the first time since 1999.
During that impressive 11-game stretch, the Knicks now have the largest winning margin in NBA playoff history.
“The Knicks have outscored Atlanta, Philadelphia and Cleveland by a combined 262 points during their playoff winning streak, the largest margin in any 11-game span in NBA history,” the Associated Press wrote after the Knicks clinched a Finals appearance.
It’s obviously still been Jalen Brunson leading the charge for New York, as he won the Eastern Conference Finals MVP by way of averaging 25.5 points and 7.8 assists on 48.7% shooting against the Cavs.
Additionally, Karl-Anthony Towns has ramped up his play, turning into one of their top passers, which has played a major part in their success. OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges are humming, and the Knicks have also gotten some strong performances out of Landry Shamet, who was previously a role player, but made some big shots in multiple fourth quarters to help the team complete their latest sweep.
The Knicks have been playing arguably their best basketball of the season heading into the Finals, a series the entire city appears to be very excited for.
The 2026 NBA Finals begin on June 3, but the Knicks’ first home game in Madison Square Garden won’t come until June 8, with prices already hitting record-setting numbers for New York City’s first Finals appearance this century.
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