Knicks fans jeer Trump as Spurs take Game 3 in NBA Finals

The New York Knicks lost Game 3 of the NBA Finals to the San Antonio Spurs last night, breaking their 13-game postseason winning streak.

Knicks coach Mike Brown criticized referees for the disparity between free throw attempts between the two teams. But fans online drew alternate theories as to why the Knicks lost: President Trump was at the game. This was the first time a sitting president attended an NBA Finals game.

“When Trump showed up on the jumbotron during the national anthem, [the crowd] booed louder than when the Spurs came on the court,” sports journalist Albert Samaha told Morning Edition.

President Trump later told reporters, “It was, I think, mostly cheers. It was loud, and very enthusiastic.”

NPR’s Michel Martin spoke with Samaha about Game 3, New York City’s reaction to having Trump in attendance and predictions for Game 4 of the NBA Finals.

Listen to the full interview by clicking on the blue play button above.

Audio transcript

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

A Knicks sweep. To my fellow New Yorkers, I take no pleasure in saying, forget about it. Victor Wembanyama helped the San Antonio Spurs win Game 3 of the NBA Finals 115-111. President Trump was there at Madison Square Garden, the first sitting president to attend an NBA Finals game. Albert Samaha was also there covering the finals for The Washington Post, and he is with us now to tell us what happened. Albert, good morning.

ALBERT SAMAHA: Good morning. Thanks so much for having me.

MARTIN: So the Knicks had a 13-game winning streak, one of the longest ever in the postseason. What happened?

SAMAHA: You know, every game this series has been so close, coming down to just a couple of shots at the end. And this time the shots fell for the Spurs, they didn’t for the Knicks. And I think the Spurs probably just had a little bit more desperation after dropping the first two games.

MARTIN: So after the game, Knicks coach Mike Brown talked about the disparity in free throw attempts between the teams. How much of a factor was that?

SAMAHA: It was a bit of a factor. I think, you know, that’s always kind of the first thing coaches go to because it can kind of try to influence the refs for the next game. In the second half, it kind of was the big factor. I would say if – to the degree free throws were an important factor, it was when Stephon Castle of the Spurs had two big free throws at the end, with the crowd rocking, and hit them both, even though he’s just a guy in his early 20s.

MARTIN: So what was the atmosphere like in the arena? There was a lot of speculation in advance about what it was going to be like. And then you add the – sort of the Trump factor. So tell us about it.

SAMAHA: You could really feel 53 years of angst without a title from the moment the Knicks hit the floor. The crowd was roaring. It was one of the most electric, loudest atmospheres I’ve ever been in covering sports. And it carried throughout the game. You know, every time the Knicks hit a bucket, the crowd roared. And when Trump showed on the Jumbotron during the national anthem, they booed louder than they did when the Spurs came on the court.

MARTIN: Wow. Well, actually, I have a little bit of a clip of that. Let’s hear it.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED SINGER: (Singing) Whose broad stripes and bright stars…

(BOOING)

MARTIN: Now, he said later he thought that was mostly cheers. But you were there. I was not. How did you hear it?

SAMAHA: (Laughter) It was definitely boos. And, I mean, this is a sporting arena, right? So you know what cheers sound like because the crowd is cheering when Jalen Brunson is on the screen five seconds later. You know what boos sound like because the boos come when Victor Wembanyama hits the court. And it sounded a lot more like when Victor Wembanyama hit the court than when Jalen Brunson was on the screen.

MARTIN: So what was it – it was like – but it was like a classic New York sporting event, like, times 10, basically. Lots of celebrities, every seat filled, like, that kind of thing?

SAMAHA: There were a million celebrities there. Every seat was filled. You know, the real aggression of New Yorker sports fan passion was coming through in every moment. It’s sort of interesting that they didn’t announce that Trump would show up like they have with kind of UFC events when he’s come to those. Instead, they just sort of showed him surprisingly on the screen when the national anthem was playing, maybe thinking that that wouldn’t lead to any boos. But this is New York. And New Yorkers really don’t, you know, respect any sort of routine. And when they saw the president on there, they let it rip.

MARTIN: Very, very quickly, what are you expecting for Game 4?

SAMAHA: I think it’ll be just as close as the last few games. I think the crowd will be even louder. They’ll try to make up for the fact that they lost Game 3 at home. And this time, they won’t have to show up three, four hours in advance ’cause there won’t be a president there.

MARTIN: (Laughter) All right. That is Albert Samaha covering the NBA Finals for The Washington Post. Albert, thanks so much for getting up early after a late night. Appreciate it.

SAMAHA: Thanks for having me. Appreciate you.

(SOUNDBITE OF RENE COSTY’S “OSTINATO BASS”)