One of the notable watch party venues in the borough was Pig Beach BBQ, located on the ground floor of 35-37 36th St. in Astoria.
Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
The restaurant remained packed throughout the evening as fans watched the Knicks complete a comeback from a 29-point deficit, the largest comeback in NBA Finals history, to beat the San Antonio Spurs 107-106 at Madison Square Garden.
Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
Like at the Garden, Pig Beach BBQ erupted into cheers when OG Anunoby tipped in the game-winning shot off a rebound of a Jalen Brunson shot with 1.2 seconds remaining. The place went nuts again when the Knicks defense prevented the Spurs from getting another shot off before time expired.
Pig Beach BBQ has hosted watch parties for each Knicks playoff game throughout this run, contributing to it being a popular venue for fans.
The unlikely win also drew reactions from local elected officials, who took to X to celebrate the team’s victory.
NEVER IN DOUBT. KNICKS IN 5. pic.twitter.com/mD7Nt3qJ5M
— Queens Borough President Donovan Richards (@QnsBPRichards) June 11, 2026
Greatest comeback in NBA Finals history!!
GO NEW YORK GO NEW YORK GO!
KNICKS IN 5. 🏀🗽 pic.twitter.com/0hWUEBImDf
— Lynn Schulman 舒曼琳 (@Lynn4NYC) June 11, 2026
MSG is on fire. There’s nothing like winning at home! https://t.co/Nzt971nIWh
— Adrienne E. Adams (@AdrienneEAdams) June 11, 2026
While most fans in Queens behaved themselves after the game, there were several unruly fans who caused chaos near Madison Square Garden, between Fifth Avenue and Eighth Avenue, after the game, prompting the NYPD to take action.
Among the incidents of reckless and dangerous behavior reported by the NYPD from fans were people taking over streets and shutting them down to vehicular traffic, jumping on top of moving trucks, taxis and other vehicles, trying to physically flip over a taxi, igniting rounds of fireworks in the middle of large crowds, climbing on top of scaffolding, light poles, traffic lights and buildings, throwing glass bottles and other objects at the crowd and at cops, getting into fights resulting in injuries, climbing on top of NYPD vehicles, resulting in significant damage to four department cars and shattering front and back windshields and breaking into a tractor trailer, stealing items inside and throwing them at cops and the crowd.
Photo courtesy of the NYPD
“This is an exciting time for the Knicks and for fans across New York City. The NYPD wants New Yorkers to be able to enjoy these celebrations, but our primary responsibility is to ensure that everyone can do so safely,” the NYPD said in a statement. “Once again, there were large crowds of people who engaged in incredibly reckless and dangerous behavior last night both during and after the game. This demonstrates exactly why the NYPD has increased our presence in and around Madison Square Garden.”
The NYPD ended up taking 56 people into custody and arresting 15 of them. Charges included assaulting a police officer, criminal possession of a weapon for someone with a knife, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, obstruction of governmental administration and trademark counterfeiting. The other 41 were released with criminal court summonses. The chaos resulted in ten members of the NYPD getting injured, including one who was struck in the head with a glass bottle.
The series is set to return to San Antonio as the Knicks will look to clinch their first title in 53 years on Saturday night.