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Donald Trump became the first sitting US president to attend an NBA Finals game on Monday night.
And as many anticipated, the night was a bit of a disaster.
For one thing, the logistics of safely transporting the most controversial person on the planet to a packed arena in the center of Midtown Manhattan were said to be downright nightmarish.
And then there was the decision to put Trump on the Jumbotron during the National Anthem, which predictably resulted in a cascade of boos.
And to top it all off, after a historic winning streak that lasted more than a month, the hometown New York Knicks lost a hard-fought battle to the visiting San Antonio Spurs.
Needless to say, after all of that, Knicks fans would probably rather see Trump skip the rest of the series. But they might be out of luck on that score.
The Daily Mail consulted a lip reader who interpreted Trump’s luxury box conversation with Knicks owner James Dolan.
And it seems that Air Force One will be making a return trip to JFK ahead of Wednesday’s Game Four.
“’Oh that’s not it. Let me bring him next time, you have got it so wrong with him. I can bring him back to you, with confidence. I’m not just saying that, unless you want to put the feeler out,” Trump reportedly said about an unknown associate, adding:
“If you want me to come to the game on Wednesday, then he’s gotta be here.
“You gotta remember, I gotta pull with this. Maybe I could do the trophy, the trophy. This should be gold, don’t say no today. I’ll bet you a round of golf.”
So it sounds like — or maybe looks like, since we’re relying on a lip-reader — Trump plans to attend Game 4 on Wednesday.
It seems that he was angling to present the championship trophy in the event that the Knicks had swept the series — a prospect about which Dolan was understandably skittish.
The Spurs’ victory may have rendered that a moot point, anyway.
Game 5 will be played in San Antonio, and given how dominant the Knicks have been on the road these playoffs, they may well secure the championship in Texas. Trump seems to have no plans to make that trip.
And even if the series heads back to New York, Dolan still might not have to worry about saying no to Trump.
As TMZ notes, the president was spotted sleeping at last night’s game, so it’s possible that he’s losing interest in the Finals already.
