The Knicks are finally bringing the NBA Finals back to Madison Square Garden, but one of the franchise's most recognizable former players is still not expected to be in the building.
Charles Oakley remains banned from MSG despite attempts from Michael Jordan and NBA commissioner Adam Silver to help repair the situation with Knicks owner James Dolan, according to a Yahoo Sports report discussed heavily on Reddit.
The timing is what makes the story hit harder. Oakley has been around Knicks road games during this playoff run, but the team's first Finals game in New York in 27 years is still set to happen without him inside the Garden.
Silver said before Game 1 that both he and Jordan tried to broker peace between Oakley and Dolan, but those efforts did not change Dolan's stance. That keeps one of the strangest long-running Knicks dramas alive right as the franchise is having its biggest basketball moment in decades.
For New York, the series is still about Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and whether the Knicks can hold off Victor Wembanyama's Spurs. But the Oakley ban is a reminder that even during a Finals run, old Garden politics can still steal part of the spotlight.
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