Tyler Rourke Tyler Rourke
Not the only are the San Antonio Spurs are heading to Madison Square Garden to try to climb their way out of a 2-0 hole in the NBA Finals, but there’s an extra added “inconvenient” problem for them to deal with.
Let’s just say that the security measures with having President Donald Trump in attendance Monday night is equally annoying for the players as it is for the fans planning to attend the sold-out Game 3, hosted by the New York Knicks at The Garden.
“I think the president being here just makes it inconvenient on everybody else. Like, we got obviously more security, we got to send stuff early, I think our buses came a little earlier, so that’s that,” Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox told reporters after San Antonio’s morning shootaround at MSG.
Trump confirmed he would be in attendance for the game a few days ago. This raised many questions concerning security. He will be the first sitting U.S. president to attend the NBA Finals. There are rumors that he will not be courtside, but rather in a private suite.
Spurs Continue to Struggle
The Spurs’ star point guard has struggled these playoffs. Despite his 20-point outing in Game 2 against the Knicks, he’s averaging 10.5 points a night in his six games since returning from an ankle injury.
Fox and the Spurs are playing uncomfortably through two games. The Knicks aggressive defense ishard to handle for the young bunch. It is one of the main reasons for Victor Wembanyama’s crucial turnover late in Game 2, in what turned out to be a 105-104 Knicks victory.
New York was already going to be hectic, and this will only rile the fans up more. Trump’s attendance is being debated, but he is a born-and-bred New Yorker. He hasn’t shown much interest in the Knicks’ success this season, but is taking advantage of their first Finals appearance in 27 years.
Though polite in his comments, Fox was the only player from either side to take the bait from reporters and share his feelings about the president attending the game Monday.
In the end, the inconvenience doesn’t matter if the Spurs can get a road victory Monday and inch their way back in this series.
