NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani has been under fire by Knicks fans over the last week after the way security around MSG was handled for Games 3 and 4 of the NBA Finals - but just like many of you (and us), the Mayor was up until the wee hours last night watching the Knicks win Game 5 in San Antonio to take home their first NBA Title in 53 years.
“I went to sleep at 3:45 in the morning, and that’s on the earlier side I think for most New Yorkers,” Mayor Mamdani told Evan, Tiki, and Shaun on a special Sunday morning show. “I watched the first half of the game streaming on the way back from watching Brazil vs. Morocco in the World Cup, and got back in time for the second half at a bar in lower Manhattan with a bunch of friends.”
According to the Mayor, ‘it was incredible’ to be in that atmosphere, watching the game with many New Yorkers (and also seeing a delayed projection outside where ‘you got to watch every shot twice’) – and he completely understands the bedlam that has overtaken the city.
“For the vast majority of New Yorkers, I think it was just pure ecstasy and joy. There were people out in the streets in their neighborhoods,” the Mayor said. “There’s been so much heartbreak, so many what-ifs and near misses, that for it to actually happen, people were crying in the streets, and it was a moment I don’t think we’ll ever forget.”
There have been some incidents following Knicks games in this series, and there were a few in the City last night, too, but he noted ‘the vast majority celebrated responsibly and appropriately,’ and he thanked the NYPD for keeping New Yorkers safe.
And yes, just as he has with the police, he has spoken with Knicks owner James Dolan, and for now, all the kerfuffle of the last week is water under a bridge that’s holding a parade on Thursday.
“We have spoken, and the focus is not on litigating the past, but on celebrating the present, and giving New Yorkers a chance to do so for the future,” the Mayor said. “It really just speaks to this team bringing people across the city together, and I don’t think anything is going to stop the celebration on Thursday.”
