The New York Knicks return home to Madison Square Garden riding a historic 13-game playoff win streak and two wins from the NBA championship, but many fans worry that President Donald Trump could jinx them.
The president will attend Game 3 back in his hometown, which is forcing the cancellation of some watch parties that have sprung up around New York City during his year's postseason, and panelists on MS NOW's "Morning Joe" wondered whether his injection of partisan politics will end the team's good fortunes.
"I think weclose out by looking ahead totonight, which was going to bea huge party," said co-host Mika Brzezinski. "I mean, peoplewere going to party and thenthey were going to partyoutside Madison Square Garden.There were going to be postparties and pre-parties, andthe streets were going to befilled with joy, and how isthat still happening?"
"It'll still happening in New York City, but it's not goingto happen near Madison [Square] Garden,which is where it's been theheart of this, thesesort of organic fan gatherings – wild scenes, pretty funnystuff, frankly, and yet,because President Trump haschosen to attend tonight's gamethree of the NBA Finals, Knicksup 2-0 on the [San Antonio] Spurs. Thatstuff can't happen, and there – you're a Knicks fan. There area lot of Knicks fans likeyourself who are deeplyapprehensive that, as the as thekids say, the vibes are immaculate around this team,but Trump might ruin it."
Journalist Pablo Torre expressed trepidation about the president's attendance and its possible impact on the Knicks chasing their first title since 1973.
"They're careening into a a historic ditch ifthis is how this goes," Torre said, "and look, Knicks fans, I grew up one, bornand raised blocks from the Garden. We're always waitingfor the next shoe to drop, andif that shoe belongs to thepresident as he walks inthrough the VIP secret tunnelthat no fan can afford to enter, right. I cannot help but thinksports, like America, has anaffordability crisis right now,and the most on-the-nose isjust exemplar of this is thisstory. You can't even beoutside. You can't even beoutside, let alone inside, andso who's this for? What's itabout?"
"I thought the Knickswere ours as a city, turns outnone of it is ours," Torre added. "It belongsto the same guy that we'vespent now, you guys have spenthours this morning taking us from the Middle East to privateprisons and into, of course,the question of whose birthdayis this again?It's all hisbirthday party, that's what weare learning."