'City's gonna be crazy:' Long-awaited Knicks run electrifies NYC, as Trump's attendance locks down arena

The hottest ticket in town is drawing New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the US president and a parade of celebrities, as well as fans teeming with excitement despite escalating security and a cancelled watch party.

The New York Knicks will clash with the San Antonio Spurs for game three of the NBA Finals - the first on their home turf of Madison Square Garden (MSG) - on Monday night.

A strict no-bag policy, a security zone spanning 10 square city blocks and airport-style screening will greet fans, as US President Donald Trump also plans to attend the pivotal game in New York City.

The Knicks, appearing in their first Finals since 1999, hold a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series, fuelling championship fever across the city.

This season has represented a stunning reversal of fortunes for the Knicks after decades as one of the worst teams in the league. Now with a 2-0 lead in the Finals, they need to win just two more games, the best of seven, to win the national championship for the first time since 1973.

"I've been a Knicks fan all my life, I've been waiting for this all my life," said Mike Dallas, a content creator who runs Knicks fan accounts.

"It's gonna be so emotional, it's going to be so enthusiastic. It's going to be phenomenal."

From the Empire State Building to One World Trade Center, skyscrapers have been lighting up the city's skyline orange and blue - the Knicks' team colours.

A subway station near Madison Square Garden got a Knicks-themed makeover, and businesses across New York City's five boroughs are offering meal deals, and orange-and-blue ice-cream and bagels.

On the last two game nights, throngs of supporters donning Knicks gear spilled out of packed New York bars, projecting the game onto the sides of buildings and holding impromptu watch parties.

Thousands took over the streets near the arena - even though their team played its first two games in their opponents' arena in Texas - leading to dozens of arrests as fans climbed lampposts, jumped onto food carts, and blocked traffic.

Many of the team's devoted fans can't afford tickets to the first home game of the series, with the cheapest online resale tickets currently going for more than $10,000 (£7,468) and running up to more than $100,000.

Regular Knicks games already rank among the most expensive in the NBA.

"That's the way life goes," Trump told reporters on Friday when asked about the extreme ticket prices. "It's sort of semi-free to watch it on television."

The president recently said he accepted an invitation from Knicks owner James Dolan to attend Monday - indicatin