‘BAN DOLAN’ BANNED
T-shirt fouls out at MSG
Fed-up Knicks fans missed out on a chance to show some emerald ire toward team owner James Dolan Sunday, as Madison Square Garden security allegedly seized T-shirts reading, “St. Patty Says Ban Dolan.”
A Manhattan law firm handed out 500 of the shamrock-emblazoned shirts outside the arena ahead of the team’s tilt against the LA Lakers.
But one fan said he never made it past Garden security with the shirt.
“Had this shirt confiscated walking into @TheGarden,” tweeted Mike Robilotta above a photo of the offending garment.
Robilotta added that he saw security at the Garden track down another fan and look him up and down to make sure he wasn’t sneaking one of the shirts in.
“They took from 2 of us and a 3rd put his in his pocket,” Robilotta wrote in another tweet.
“@TheGarden security tracked and followed him through scanning and made him open his jacket to prove he threw it away. Then made another guard pick it out of the garbage to prove it,” he added.
Dolan — who earlier this month banned from the Garden a fan who yelled at him to “Sell the team!” — did not comment on the shirts.
The embattled owner insisted during a radio appearance that he took action against the fan who yelled at him because the confrontation was an “ambush.”
“The ban is only coming from the fact that we now have learned that he planned it,” Dolan said on ESPN’s “Michael Kay Show” last Tuesday.
“They were stalking me. You can’t do that in Madison Square Garden. You are not allowed to stalk the owner and then confront him like that.
“Those particular guys had planned on making that video and selling it on TMZ,” Dolan added.
The Knicks declined to comment about the T-shirts, but a team source insisted fans were never forced to surrender the shirts, only wear them inside out.
Maybe there was something to the forced positivity, however.
The Knicks scored a rare win on Sunday, edging out LeBron James and the Lakers in a 124-123 nail-biter.
The victory improved the Knicks’ record to 14-56 — still the NBA’s worst record margin.