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After Spike Lee blew up at Madison Square Garden security Monday night, the Knicks tried to play down the incident as simply a miscommunication about which entrance the movie director/superfan should use on game nights.
Lee, however, didn't see it that way.
In a fiery appearance Tuesday morning on ESPN's "First Take," Lee said: "I'm being harassed by (Knicks owner) James Dolan. I don't know why."
Lee said he entered Monday's game against the Houston Rockets through the same employee entrance on West 33rd Street that he has used for 28 years. He said after he had his ticket scanned and was standing in an elevator, a security guard approached him and asked him to go with him. Lee refused.
When Lee got out of the elevator, "Security's waiting for me like I just ran out of Macy's stealing something," he said.
According to Lee, security told him he needed to exit the Garden and re-enter at West 31st Street. Lee again refused, arguing that his ticket had already been scanned and he didn't trust that he would allowed to re-enter the arena.
Lee said Dolan told him, "We need to talk."
"I said, 'Mr. Dolan, I don't want to talk about nothing. I've been coming through this entrance for 28 years,'" Lee said.
"They never said when the thing (policy) changed," he added. "So why not call me? When my deposit's due at this astronomical price for Knicks tickets and I'm one day late, my phone is ringing off the hook."
When the hosts of "First Take" noted that Lee had paid about $10 million in Knicks season tickets over the years, Lee joked, "I look stupid now!"
The Knicks released a statement after Lee's ESPN appearance saying: "The idea that Spike Lee is a victim because we have repeatedly asked him to not use our employee entrance and instead use a dedicated VIP entrance -- which is used by every other celebrity who enters The Garden -- is laughable. It's disappointing that Spike would create this false controversy to perpetuate drama. He is welcome to come to The Garden anytime via the VIP or general entrance; just not through our employee entrance, which is what he and Jim agreed to last night when they shook hands."
Lee then responded to the Knicks statement, telling The New York Times' Sopan Deb: "What's laughable is how the Knicks are the laughingstock of the league in sports. That's what's f------ laughable."
He added that he told Dolan at halftime that he was never informed there was a new policy about entering the arena. Dolan then "very rudely" told him, "Now you know," according to Lee.