The San Antonio Spurs plan to beef up security to ensure the invading New York Knicks fans behave themselves in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Saturday.
Per the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, security will be heightened at the Frost Bank Center, where more than 50% of the crowd is expected to cheer for the Knicks—many of them visiting fans from the New York and New Jersey areas.
“With hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Knicks fans expected in San Antonio for Saturday’s Game 5, security is expected to be a major focus at the Frost Bank Center,” wrote News4SA’s Jessica Warner on Thursday.
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said that, given the violence endured by both Spurs fans and even players — Victor Wembanyama had an egg thrown at him — his department will be vigilant in dealing with troublemakers on Saturday.
“We’re hoping for the best, but we’re preparing for the worst should it come, but again I think San Antonio is cut a little differently, cut out of a different cloth than most other major cities,” Salazar said.
Will Knicks Fans Behave?
While it’s unlikely that typically classy Spurs fans cause trouble on Saturday, Knicks players will also receive heightened security to avoid any incidents.
“Salazar added that deputies will be escorting the Knicks and their families to and from the arena on Saturday to help prevent any potential issues,” wrote Warner.
If Jalen Brunson and Co. capture the NBA championship on Saturday, there are additional concerns of Knicks fans taking to the streets and causing chaos, much like they did after the Game 4 win and Game 3 loss.
Knicks ‘Violation’ Controversy
Another reason for the heightened security is to ensure that Knicks fans don’t run onto the court or get too close to the players. In Wednesday’s epic Game 4, a few courtside Knicks fans committed a violiaton by getting too close to Spurs rookie Dylan Harper, the inbounder in the final possession.
Spurs beat writer Dusty Garza has urged the NBA to investigate the final play, where Karl-Anthony Towns could be heard asking courtside fans at Madison Square Garden to crowd Harper to prevent him from inbounding the ball properly.
“NBA rules explicitly state that fans are strictly prohibited from entering the playing area or intentionally interfering with players, whether the player is inbounds or out of bounds,” he wrote on X.
“Furthermore, rules state that fans must remain within the physical limits of their own seats. In an instance like this, Arena security staff is required to back the front row up, and offenders should be ejected.”
As of Thursday, 44.3% of all tickets purchased for Game 5 came from the New York and New Jersey markets, per TickPick. Only 11.2% of the purchases came from Texas, followed by California at 10.7%. The Knicks, who won both road games at the start of the series, could enjoy a homecourt atmosphere as they attempt to close out the Spurs.
Spurs vs Knicks Game 5 will tip off at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday. If Spurs stave off elimination, there’ll be a Game 6 back in New York on Tuesday.
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