'Lockdown': Security ramped up at Madison Square Garden as Trump goes to NBA Finals

The Secret Service told ticket holders to get to Game 3 two hours early.

With President Donald Trump expected to attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the Knicks and Spurs on Monday night, the New York Police Department and the Secret Service say they are planning to put Madison Square Garden on "lockdown."

During a news conference Monday morning, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said police officers will establish a block-to-two-block-radius security perimeter around the Midtown Manhattan arena, canceling a fan watch party that was set to occur outside the venue.

"I think New Yorkers are used to presidents coming to town, and that they understand that that generally means lockdown of areas, and that's what you're going to see tonight at the Garden," Tisch said.

Beginning at 4 p.m. ET, four-and-a-half hours before the start of the game, police will start blocking off streets and avenues around Madison Square Garden, creating a security frozen zone, according to Tisch.

"No one will be allowed inside the secured area unless they have a ticket to the game, a train ticket, they are going to a business inside the area, they have credentials, or they have some other authorized reason to be there," she said.

Tisch said no one will be allowed in the secured area with a backpack unless they are going to nearby Pennsylvania Station to catch a train.

Matt McCool, special agent in charge of the U.S. Secret Service Field Office in New York, advised ticketed fans to arrive at the Garden two hours before game time to ensure they make it through the "multiple layers" of security, including magnetometers, in time for the 8:30 p.m. ET tipoff.

In coordination with the Secret Service, Tisch said a decision was made to cancel Monday night's fan watch party outside of Madison Square Garden due to Trump attending the game.

But Tisch said other watch parties are scheduled for Monday night, including one hosted by New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani at Bryant Park, about a mile east of the Garden.

Mamdani said last week that he also plans to be at the Garden for Game 3.

Tisch said the watch party outside the Garden will resume for Game 4 on Wednesday night.

The return of the NBA Finals to New York comes with a "heightened risk of attention by malicious actors across the ideological spectrum," according to a New York Police Department assessment obtained by ABC News.

The Knicks are set to host their first NBA Finals in 27 years on Monday night.

The Knicks lead the series two games to none over the San Antonio Spurs in New York's quest to win its first NBA championship si