By Jordan Heller
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — After city officials and environmental experts declared the air inside Madison Square Garden safe and free of asbestos, the New York Knicks announced Wednesday that Friday night's game against the Washington Wizards would go on as scheduled.
Shortly after the announcement, Mayor Michael Bloomberg praised Garden officials for putting safety above anything else.
"They should be commended for that," he said at an unrelated press conference.
The Knicks postponed Tuesday night's game against the Orlando Magic after "asbestos-related materials" kept in an attic above the ceiling of MSG fell into the arena following Monday night's Rangers game, according to Garden officials.
Department of Environmental Protection officials inspected the arena and concluded that no asbestos had been released into the air.
"We're confident the building is safe," said DEP spokesman Farrell Sklerov. "Two air monitoring stations indicated elevated levels of fibers but they were non-asbestos."
Despite the clean bill of health on Tuesday, Garden officials explored contingency plans for Friday night's Knicks game, according to the Times. The Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, and the Izod Center at the Meadowlands were both mentioned.
In the meantime, Garden officials brought in two independent firms, ATC Associates and GCI Environmental Advisory, "to evaluate and determine the most appropriate course of action," according to a statement released by MSG.
At roughly 6 p.m. on Wednesday, the Knicks announced Friday's game would go on at the Garden as scheduled.
The rescheduled date for Tuesday's postponed Knicks v. Magic game will be announced in the near future, MSG announced in a statement.
