The Philadelphia 76ers off-court strategy heading into Game 6 of their NBA playoff series is to keep New York Knicks fans out of Wells Fargo Arena on Thursday night.
Team owners Josh Harris, David Blitzer and David Adelman and former minority owner Michael Rubin joined forces on Wednesday to buy more than 2,000 tickets, which they handed out to people who serve the Philadelphia community.
Wells Fargo Arena seemed more like Madison Square Garden South during the Knicks’ 97-92 win in Game 4 on Sunday, prompting 76ers star Joel Embiid to express frustration about the home-court disadvantage.
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“[It’s] disappointing,” Embiid said after Game 4. “I’ve never seen it, and I’ve been here for 10 years. Yeah, it kind of pisses me off, especially because Philly is considered a sports town. They’ve always shown up, and I don’t think that should happen. Yeah, it’s not OK.”
A robust “Let’s go Knicks!” chant took over in the second quarter of Game 3 in Philadelphia and then, in Game 4, Knicks’ star Jalen Brunson was treated to “M-V-P!” chants whenever he approached the free throw line.
On Tuesday, the Sixers won 112-106 in overtime in New York to cut their deficit to 3-2 in the best-of-seven series.
After the 2,000-plus Game 6 tickets were bought in bulk, Rubin announced on social media they would be given to first responders, health care professionals and other Philadelphia-based organizations. “We absolutely CANNOT let Knicks fans take over our arena again!!!” Rubin wrote on X.
Dawn Staley, coach of the NCAA champion South Carolina women’s basketball team and a Philadelphia native, also asked fans to not sell their tickets to Knicks fans.
“We need everybody’s support, man,” Sixers coach Nick Nurse said.
