A watch party planned for Monday outside Madison Square Garden has been canceled as fans brace for heightened security at the first home game of the Knicks\u2019 extraordinary N.B.A. championship run, with both President Trump and Mayor Zohran Mamdani expected to attend.<\/p>\n
A rowdy viewing party held there Friday during Game 2 resulted in more than a dozen arrests<\/a>. Other recent watch parties<\/a> have been similarly raucous, exposing an apparent tension between Mr. Mamdani and his police commissioner, Jessica S. Tisch, who has warned that a glut of high-profile sporting events have placed exceptional demands on the Police Department.<\/p>\n In addition to the elation that has accompanied the Knicks\u2019 13-game win streak, FIFA World Cup soccer games are set to start next week just across the Hudson River at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Thousands of fans from around the world are expected to make New York City their home base during the World Cup matches that culminate at MetLife on July 19<\/a>.<\/p>\n For Monday\u2019s game, the Knicks have told ticket holders to arrive two hours early, without bags, as the world\u2019s most famous arena prepares to greet a mayor and a president with polar politics and keep them, and a full-house of fans, safe.<\/p>\n A son of Queens, Mr. Trump made his name, and fortune, in New York City. But he has avoided the city since being elected president for the second time, preferring instead to head to his golf club in Bedminster, N.J., when he is in the region.<\/p>\n A message posted<\/a> on the N.B.A. website on Sunday revealed that the Monday night watch party outside the Garden had been canceled. The same site suggested that celebrations at other New York City locations<\/a>, including Wollman Rink and Brooklyn Bowl, would continue as planned.<\/p>\n A Police Department spokeswoman said the decision to cancel Monday\u2019s watch party was made in coordination with the Secret Service, which will provide security for Mr. Trump during his visit.<\/p>\n A City Hall spokeswoman referred a reporter to the police statement and declined additional comment.<\/p>\n On Friday, when the Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs by one point in a nail-biter, a party held outside the Garden devolved into chaos.<\/p>\n Seventeen people were arrested, and nine others were issued summonses for disorderly conduct. A police union leader said that one reveler, who was charged with punching a 23-year-old female officer, also bit a second officer.<\/p>\n \u201cA victory celebration shouldn\u2019t end with blood pouring down an officer\u2019s face,\u201d Patrick Hendry, president of the union, the Police Benevolent Association, said in a statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n