New Yorkers in all corners of the city had a ball Wednesday night as the Knicks clinched a win in Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs.<\/p>\n
Even though the players were on the Spurs\u2019 home turf in Texas, throngs of fans outside Madison Square Garden would have made any tourist think otherwise.<\/p>\n
The festivities were largely peaceful<\/a> and boisterous, though NYPD officials said they took seven people into custody near the intersection of West 33rd Street and Seventh Avenue around 11:15 p.m., just as the game was ending. Five of those people were given criminal court summonses, while two others were facing unspecified charges that were still pending early Thursday.<\/p>\n Social media highlights from among the Midtown crowds included a massive painting<\/a> of point guard Jalen Brunson, spontaneous dancing<\/a>, costumes, Timberlands,<\/a> a robot in a jersey<\/a>, and a whole lot of blue and orange. In most of the videos, police are seen taking a hands-off approach.<\/p>\n At least one of the arrests appears to have happened after several people climbed atop an ambulance near the arena, video shows.<\/a><\/p>\n Spokespeople for the NYPD and City Hall did not immediately say whether Midtown watch parties would be allowed for the second game in the series on Friday night, which will also be played in San Antonio.<\/p>\n The police department briefly quashed<\/a> the spontaneous gatherings, with officials blaming social media influencers for encouraging rowdy behavior.<\/p>\n But the city reversed course<\/a> for Wednesday night\u2019s game. The city approved permits for watch parties in Central Park and outside Madison Square Garden, and officials said they would make decisions for the other games on a case-by-case basis.<\/p>\n Midtown was not the only place to tune in. New Yorkers took to social media to show homemade setups,<\/a> with people gathering in lawn chairs on the sidewalk around flat-screen TVs affixed to cars and trucks.<\/p>\n