Former New York Knicks star Amar’e Stoudemire expects President Donald Trump to receive a warm response when he attends Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden on Monday night.
“He deserves all the respect we can give him. It’s a tough job to be the President, I think Knicks fans will show him respect on Monday,” Stoudemire said.
Trump is expected to attend the game as the Knicks host the San Antonio Spurs with a 2-0 lead in the series. New York opened the Finals with a 105-95 win in San Antonio and followed it with a 105-104 thriller, putting the franchise two wins from its first championship since 1973.
The timing gives Game 3 added weight beyond the basketball. It will be the first Finals game at Madison Square Garden in years, and it lands in a building already primed for a loud, emotional night with the Knicks back on the biggest stage.
Trump previously said at a Cabinet meeting that he had been invited by Knicks owner James Dolan and planned to attend one of the Finals games, adding that the team had “really suffered for years.”
That backdrop leaves the Garden with more than one spotlight. The Knicks are trying to protect home court and keep control of the series, while the crowd will likely be reacting to every possession with the kind of energy that has defined this postseason run.
