New York Knicks games at Madison Square Garden are an experience unlike any other

Jay Asser 10:14 16/03/2018
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  • The Knicks hosted the Philadelphia 76ers at Madison Square Garden on Thursday.

    There’s something about watching a game at Madison Square Garden that just feels unique, in a way which can’t be replicated by any other arena in any other city.

    One of the great aspects of the NBA is that there’s a culture around each team and the fan experience can vary depending on geography, but that’s especially true of the New York Knicks.

    I got the chance to witness that firsthand when the Knicks hosted the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday at the ‘Mecca of basketball’.

    Speaking of that nickname, some use it to describe New York City as a whole, while others specify it as Madison Square Garden. It’s fair to say right now the city isn’t deserving of the moniker considering the sorry state of their franchise and the drop-off in NBA talent being produced locally.

    MSG, on the other hand, is definitely deserving.

    Why? Well, it all starts with location, location, location.

    The arena is smack dab in the middle of Manhattan, blocks away from Times Square and the Empire State Building. You can’t possibly get a more urban surrounding, even if you reverse engineered it by building an area first and then the city around it.

    There’s so much life and activity around MSG that when you walk up to it, you feel like you’re going to an event that carries weight.

    The interior feels just as cool, even if the reminders of history and tradition dispersed throughout don’t resonate with you.

    It may be lost on someone attending their first NBA game, but the contrast between the lighting on the court and the lighting in the stands is beautiful. While not as dramatic as the theatre-like lighting at Barclay Center, MSG’s version does give it that Broadway touch and adds to the experience.

    The starry feel wouldn’t be complete without the actual stars, and MSG plays into it by having a ‘Celebrity Row’ tidbit during timeouts where they put a camera on the notable names in attendance. At the Knicks-76ers game, those included actors Ansel Elgort, Timothee Chalamet and Hank Azaria, New Edition member Ronnie DeVoe and former New York Giants star Justin Tuck. The Staples Center in Los Angeles is probably the only other arena that can claim to host a who’s who every home game.

    In practically every area, MSG hit the mark and proved its reputation is well-earned. The one disappointment I had, however, was not being in a more electric atmosphere.

    I get it. The Knicks are a lottery team and their best player, Kristaps Porzingis, is out for the season with a torn ACL. There’s not much to get excited about in a game in March.

    That said, I expected a little better from Knicks fans at, again, the Mecca of basketball. Seats appeared only half-full at the start of the game and even though the crowd filled in as the night went on, the cheers for the 76ers also seemed to get louder.

    Philadelphia is close by so sure, their fans can travel easily. But it started to feel like the 76ers were the home team by the end of it and there was even a loud ‘Trust the Process’ chant in the fourth quarter when Joel Embiid was at the free throw line.

    I’m inclined to be sympathetic of Knicks fans in this case and MSG was so cool otherwise that it didn’t take away from the experience.

    Even though I’ve not attended a game in every city, I feel comfortable saying that MSG should be near the top of the list as a destination to watch basketball for any fan.

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