CLEVELAND (AP) — The Knicks and their fans threatened to turn Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals into a Garden party.
Madison Square Garden, that is.
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Spike Lee, right, greets Rick Brunson, father of New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, before Game 4 in the Eastern Conference finals NBA basketball playoffs series against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Cleveland, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Tim Phillis)
Spike Lee, right, greets Rick Brunson, father of New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, before Game 4 in the Eastern Conference finals NBA basketball playoffs series against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Cleveland, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Tim Phillis)
Tracy Morgan arrives before Game 4 in the Eastern Conference finals NBA basketball playoffs series between the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers in Cleveland, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Tim Phillis)
Tracy Morgan arrives before Game 4 in the Eastern Conference finals NBA basketball playoffs series between the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers in Cleveland, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Tim Phillis)
Spike Lee holds an autographed shoe before Game 4 in the Eastern Conference finals NBA basketball playoffs series between the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers in Cleveland, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Tim Phillis)
With New York one win from sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers and earning its first NBA Finals appearance since 1999, thousands of Knicks fans — and some of their well-heeled celebrity backers — descended upon Rocket Arena on Monday night.
Based on the decibel level and “Let's Go Knicks!” chants during pregame warmups, New York fans seemed to outnumber Clevelanders, who are holding out hope that the Cavs can somehow overcome an 0-3 deficit in the series. That's never happened in the NBA as teams are a collective 164-0 when leading 3-0 in a best-of-seven series.
Among the New York A-list celebrities on hand were actor Timothée Chalamet and his girlfriend, Kylie Jenner, director Spike Lee, comedian Tracy Morgan and rappers along with former Knicks players Walt “Clyde” Frazier and Allan Houston.
The Cavs, who hosted pop music superstar Taylor Swift and her fiance, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce in Game 3, were represented by rapper Machine Gun Kelly. Cleveland also brought back beloved guard Matthew Dellavedova, a member of its 2016 championship team for some karma.
Knicks fans were boisterous during New York's win in Game 3, and Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell lamented that was mostly because Cleveland gave its towel-waving crowd nothing to cheer about.
“I’m from New York, this doesn’t shock me. They do it in every arena,” Mitchell said. “That’s how Knicks fans are. I was one back in the day.”
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Spike Lee, right, greets Rick Brunson, father of New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, before Game 4 in the Eastern Conference finals NBA basketball playoffs series against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Cleveland, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Tim Phillis)
Spike Lee, right, greets Rick Brunson, father of New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, before Game 4 in the Eastern Conference finals NBA basketball playoffs series against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Cleveland, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Tim Phillis)
Tracy Morgan arrives before Game 4 in the Eastern Conference finals NBA basketball playoffs series between the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers in Cleveland, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Tim Phillis)
Tracy Morgan arrives before Game 4 in the Eastern Conference finals NBA basketball playoffs series between the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers in Cleveland, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Tim Phillis)
Spike Lee holds an autographed shoe before Game 4 in the Eastern Conference finals NBA basketball playoffs series between the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers in Cleveland, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Tim Phillis)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military said Monday that it carried out “self-defense” strikes in southern Iran, including on missile launch sites and boats placing mines, even as President Donald Trump said on social media that negotiations were “proceeding nicely.”
The strikes were done “to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces,” but the military was “using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire,” Capt. Tim Hawkins, U.S. Central Command spokesman, said in a statement.
Further details were not immediately available, including more specifics on the threats from Iran and what this means for negotiations. Earlier, Trump said any agreement to end the Iran war should include a requirement for several additional countries, including Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, to join the Abraham Accords, the U.S.-brokered agreements from Trump’s first term aimed at normalizing relations with Israel.
The proposal came as the emerging Iran deal faced criticism from fellow Republicans who favor a harder line on Iran, and it could add new diplomatic complications to the negotiations.
Trump pointed to Saudi Arabia and Qatar as countries that should “immediately” sign on, alongside Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt and Jordan. Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates became the first countries to join in 2020.
He wrote that “after all the work done by the United States to try and pull this very complex puzzle together, it should be mandatory that all of these Countries, at a minimum, simultaneously, sign onto the Abraham Accords.”
Trump has long hoped Saudi Arabia would join, but the kingdom has maintained that any normalization deal requires first establishing a clear path for Palestinian statehood. That's also key for Pakistan, which is among the countries that do not have diplomatic relations with Israel.
Islamabad-based analyst Syed Mohammad Ali said Pakistan’s position on Israel remains unchanged despite Trump’s latest proposal.
The president said he brought up the Abraham Accords plan with leaders during negotiations on Saturday. He said he would accept “one or two” countries declining to sign, but said most should be willing. Egypt and Jordan already formally recognize Israel and have long-standing peace treaties. Turkey first recognized Israel in 1949.
Masood Khan, Pakistan’s former ambassador to the United States, said it remains to be seen how workable the proposal might be for the countries on Trump's list.
“The invocation of the Abraham Accords at this stage gives an altogether new dimension to the diplomatic and mediatory processes because this issue was not on the agenda,” he said, pointing to the domestic pressure Trump is facing to strike a favorable deal.
Still, Khan said, “the diplomatic track is still working, and I believe Pakistan is very much at the center of it, supported by regional countries.”
It remains unclear when or how any deal with Iran might be completed. Trump suggested even Iran could eventually sign on to the accords, if an agreement is reached.
The accords are a series of diplomatic, economic and security agreements created with U.S. influence during Trump’s first term, originally between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, followed by Sudan, Morocco, and, more recently, Kazakhstan.
They were framed as an effort to promote cooperation among countries in the Middle East and North Africa, and the administration saw them as partly paving a path toward full ties with Israel.
Ahmed reported from Islamabad.
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