Knicks Watch Party Cancelled: What Triggered Dolan's Outburst?

Madison Square Garden canceled a planned Knicks watch party outside the arena hours before the NBA Finals Game 4 on Wednesday — as owner James Dolan unloaded on Mayor Zohran Mamdani as a fake fan of the team.

Dolan made the announcement Wednesday afternoon ahead of the Knicks showdown with the San Antonio Spurs after the MSG blasted the the city government for its decision to set up a security zone around the arena for the event.

“We’re not even putting up the screens,” Dolan said on WFAN Radio, taking shots at the democratic socialist mayor and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.

“Our hope was that the mayor and the commissioner would change their minds and we’d put the screens up,” Dolan added. “They clearly haven’t changed their minds, it’s almost 5 o’ clock so the screens are not going up.”

Dolan said Mamdani and Tisch were not experienced enough to handle a major event, leading to the myriad of security measures.

“We’re seeing a lot of fear from the mayor’s office, a lot of anxiety,” Jim Dolan said. “They’re sitting there trying to say, ‘well we’re big Knicks fans,’ but they’re not Knicks fans.

“He’s not a Knick fan,” Dolan in reference to Mamdani.

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Dolan said the secure area around MSG for the Knicks’ home games would be harder to get into the venue than Area 51.

“This is really out of the mayor’s office, he really needs to change his mind,” Dolan said.

MSG has complained the city was downsizing the number of people who can attend the party, and requiring it to be a ticketed event, while the NYPD has said the MSG submitted a permit application to hold an event for up to about 1,000 people.

“MSG requested a permit for a watch party for 500-999 fans. We approved that permit for 999 fans,” Mamdani wrote on Twitter after Dolan announced the decision.

I know this is breaking hearts across our city,” he added, predicting the Knicks would win the series in five games. “But if there’s one thing Knicks fans don’t need permission for, it’s showing up for our team wherever we may be — no matter the block or the borough.”