President Donald Trump is heading to Madison Square Garden on Monday. He mentioned recently that James Dolan invited him to the iconic arena to witness the New York Knicks host the San Antonio Spurs.
But Trump’s announcement didn’t sit well with Stephen A. Smith. ESPN publicly made an unusual plea this week, asking Trump to skip Game 3 of the NBA Finals. Make no mistake: this was not a political statement.
Stephen A. Smith Requests President Donald Trump to Avoid the NBA Finals
“He’s coming to Game 3 of the Finals, and I don’t want him there. It has nothing to do with politics, policy, or anything like that. It has everything to do with him disrupting and contributing at the same time to the chaos that’s going to be existing at Madison Square Garden,” Smith said.
“If it were Barack Obama coming to the Garden, I would say, ‘Stay home.’ Stay at the White House… I have been covering sports for over 30 years. And I’m telling you right now, come Monday, for Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden, I expect to see an environment I have never seen in my entire career covering sports,” the analyst added.
He is not wrong that the stakes are huge. The Knicks have not played a home Finals game since 1999. They are chasing their first championship since 1973. Ticket prices for Game 3 have surpassed $9,000 just to get through the door, with the most expensive seats pushing past $100,000.
The energy inside MSG was already going to be unlike anything the building has seen in a generation. Now add a presidential motorcade, Secret Service sweeps, and a nation watching, and Smith’s concern starts to make a lot of sense.
Trump confirmed his attendance on Friday aboard Air Force One, saying he was invited by Knicks owner James Dolan and teasing the possibility of attending Game 4 as well. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver welcomed his presence, calling Trump “very much a New Yorker.” Doesn’t seem like Smith shares that view.
The Knicks started off slow in Game 1 and struggled to break down the Spurs. Julian Champagnie and Dylan Harper were hot in the first half, and the Knicks were paying the price.
But it all turned around as Jalen Brunson started to get into a groove, and he ended up with 30 points, including some clutch plays down the stretch to lead New York to victory on the road.
In Game 2, Wemby will lead the Spurs as they try to bounce back and avoid falling into a 0-2 hole before the series shifts to Madison Square Garden in New York.
