Knicks to bring the noise for Game 3 of NBA Finals despite insane ticket prices

[p]The [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/new-york-knicks/WCNO4nbt/"]New York Knicks[/a], chasing their first basketball championship since 1973, take a 2-0 lead over the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/san-antonio-spurs/IwmkErSH/"]San Antonio Spurs[/a] into Monday's game three of the best-of-seven series, with game four to follow on Wednesday.[/p][p]Ticket prices have skyrocketed out of the reach of most New Yorkers, but the self-proclaimed "World's Most Famous Arena" will still be packed to the rafters, with celebrities at courtside and Trump attending at least for Game 3[/p][embed guid="7d56a190-b5ba-4168-ab88-e3c8fd6e560a" url="https://x.com/KobeissiLetter/status/2063117647785427029?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]The shiny trappings are just part of the allure of the 58-year-old venue.[/p][p]But on Sunday evening, five people were wounded in a stabbing at Penn Station, located directly underneath the arena - a reminder of the security concerns that also lurk ahead of major events in New York.[/p][p]The Garden is one of America's most storied venues - where the yellow-tinged lighting and vintage photos of Muhammad Ali and the Rolling Stones displayed on the concourses nod to its place in sports and entertainment lore.[/p][p][b]"There's nothing like seeing a basketball game at Madison Square Garden,"[/b] said John Guercio, a 60-something accountant and self-proclaimed lifelong fan of the Knicks.[/p][embed guid="53b57482-3cf5-45a0-b4a9-524f62a11726" url="https://x.com/YahooSports/status/2063644644546691382?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]NBA Hall of Famer Bill Bradley, who won titles with the Knicks in 1970 and 1973, says New York fans are the key to MSG's enduring spirit.[/p][p][b]"It's a very loud audience, enthusiastic audience, critical audience, knowledgeable audience," [/b]Bradley said.[b] "And when they get into the game, they can carry the team."[/b][/p][p]But, as Bradley knows all too well, the fans can turn against one of their own - or even against the entire roster.[/p][p]Thrust into a position that was not his, Bradley had to endure the jeers of frenzied aficionados at the start of his professional career, along with spitting and tossed coins.[/p][p]He was embraced, he recalled, [b]"as soon as we started winning."[/b][/p][p][b]"The fans are just brutal here," [/b]said Guercio, who remembers a 2000s rough patch marked by six straight seasons without a playoff berth and the[b] "dirt chanting" [/b]directed at coach Isiah Thomas.[/p][p][b]"You come here, you've got to have tough skin,"[/b] Guercio said. [b]"That's why players like playing here, because if you can win here, you can win anywhere."[/b][/p][embed guid="fb3b3582-b8d0-45a8-98f9-42d20277653b" url="https://x.com/ComplexSports/status/2063758058640101423?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Today's Knicks have won the hearts of fans with a gritty style that saw them reach the Eastern Conference finals last season and build a 13-game winning streak in the current playoffs.[/p][p][b]"They're likable, they're easy to love, they're easy to root for," [/b]said superfan [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/towns-karl-anthony/8np46E9P/"]Anthony Donahue[/a].[/p][p]Unlike some of the past Knicks heroes, from Walt Frazier to Charles Oakley to Latrell Sprewell, these Knicks do not boast larger-than-life personalities.[/p][p]But [b]"they play hard, they never give up,"[/b] said Donahue.[/p][p][b]"I don't think they're out partying. They're not being stupid. They're themselves," [/b]he added. [b]"And New York has wrapped our arms around them."[/b][/p][embed guid="c7233c77-91c5-4726-82cc-12658dd1ef9d" url="https://x.com/barstoolsports/status/2063823183690555787?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Donahue does not believe that the eye-watering ticket prices have eroded MSG's DNA.[/p][p]Although it's now hard to find a ticket for less than $7,000 on the resale market for Monday's showdown, he noted that prices are much lower for season ticket holders.[/p][p][b]"I've been to every playoff game this year,"[/b] Donahue said.[b] "The Garden, the crowd's still awesome."[/b][/p][embed guid="32359893-2b97-44a0-bbee-0075025f199d" url="https://x.com/sny_knicks/status/2063663327767589110?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Rich Swann, who has been attending games for more than 30 years, distinguishes the regular-season and postseason vibe.[/p][p][b]"During the regular season, you've got people who just come into games, it's a thing to do. Tourists come in,"[/b] Swann said.[/p][p][b]"Playoff atmosphere has been different. Playoff atmosphere is real."[/b][/p][embed guid="3817f744-7c5e-492a-b674-62901ffa9448" url="https://x.com/UnderdogNBA/status/2063662611409903921?s=20" social-type="twitter" /]