00:00It's not just getting into the garden and trying to see the game. You think about the space outside, the
00:06fact that bar space is at a premium right now. What are you seeing as we count down until the
00:12game tonight?
00:13Well, is that before the president said he was coming or after? Listen, even after game one and game two,
00:20when the Knicks won, and again, they were away in San Antonio, you would have thought they won the NBA
00:25finals. It was unbelievable. The feeding frenzy here is unlike anything I've ever seen in sports in my entire life.
00:32Well, to your point, the fact that the president is attending, here's a tweet from the NYPD that's starting at
00:394 p.m. today. Vehicular and pedestrian traffic closed from West 30th Street to West 35th Street between 6th and
00:468th Avenue. That is a massive shutdown there. And I wonder, I mean, how are you expecting that to impact
00:53foot traffic? And, you know, how do you sort of even adjust around that?
00:57Can I tell you something? It's safety before you make money. We have the best police department in the world.
01:03There's no better police than the New York Police Department. Jessica Tisch is phenomenal. I trust them. And listen, we
01:09got to do what we can to protect the president. But you know what? New Yorkers are going to find
01:13a way. They'll figure out how to figure it out. We know that there's no watch parties. So come on
01:18over to Versa, come to your local bars, and let's all celebrate.
01:21Well, somehow, Mitch, I think there'll be some impromptu watch parties if I know anything about New Yorkers. I mean,
01:26you were here. Obviously, you didn't have the bar back in the days. But, I mean, the last time, I
01:29was at 99, the last finals that they went to. And I know it didn't work out as well.
01:35We're talking about a city that's been starved, at least for the basketball fans that have been starved for a
01:40championship in men's basketball, just to be clear.
01:42But I am curious if you just think that what's happening in this city and the economic impact, not only
01:47from the games that might be played here, at least two, we know, today and maybe Wednesday and maybe beyond
01:53that,
01:53but the idea that is there a longer-term economic impact from people who have a renewed interest in what's
01:59going on with the New York Knicks?
02:00Great question. First of all, the mayor's office thinks the impact, if the Knicks have three games, will be around
02:08$465 million.
02:10But it's just not that the impact about, you know, money from hotels, restaurants, cabs, bars, whatever.
02:16It's promoting New York. It's showcasing New York the way it should be showcased.
02:21It's bringing the city together. And it's unlike any other event.
02:24Again, 53 years, people are starving. I remember 13 years old with my brother, may he rest in peace, we
02:31were riding the Long Island Railroad with Red Holtzman when he was the coach in 1969.
02:36I was 15 years old, and we would ride the train listening to the stories, waiting all 53 years later,
02:43and we're waiting for a championship.
02:45New York is just ready to explode.
02:47No one's ever come back when they were up two games to, when they lost the first two games at
02:52home, never come back.
02:53So let's bring it home.
02:55All right. Well, we'll see tonight what they do.
02:58Obviously, everyone's so focused right now on Jordan Clarkson, Jalen Brunson, and kind of a team that I think a
03:04lot of people looked at,
03:05even prior to last season when they had that run, and said, you know, there's no way.
03:09This is not a championship team. There's no way you're going to beat the Thunder.
03:11There's no way you're going to beat the Spurs.
03:13There's no way you're going to get past the Cavs or any of this.
03:15We're there now, here. I hate to do this.
03:19What if they lose? What if they lose the series?
03:21What does that do? Do you think that we'll still have that same energy heading into next year,
03:26where people say maybe they can pull it off?
03:28As Joe Willey named it said, we're not losing, okay? We're not losing.
03:32All we need is to take one game at Jimmy's place, Jimmy Dolan's place, the Magic Garden.
03:38If we get one game and now we're up 3-1, they're going to have a tough time.
03:42But listen, the Knicks are playing unbelievable.
03:44I don't know what happened when they went down 2-1, but Coach Brown did something with his magic
03:49that all of a sudden the players started passing together, they're gelling together,
03:53to win two games on the road in San Antonio.
03:57And that arena is insane.
03:59New York's ready to explode.
04:00Whoever's going to the Garden tonight, where are your plugs?
04:03Yeah, really?
04:04You've got to get down there, though, too, or to your bar, at least.
04:06Oh, no, I'm going to be at our sports bar, Versa, which is our 35th and 7th.
04:09We've got the largest indoor-outdoor space than any bar in New York.
04:1510,000 square feet, 33 TV sets.
04:19We're ready for the crowd.
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