The New York Knicks didn’t just embarrass the Philadelphia 76ers on the court Sunday, closing out a sweep of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals, but they humiliated them in the stands too. Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia was mobbed by orange-and-blue-wearing Knicks fans who made their presence known.
Tyrese Maxey hated it. The 76ers’ All-Star guard did not mince words after the Knicks’ 144-114 victory eliminated Philadelphia.
“It absolutely sucks, if I am being honest,” Maxey said. “It just sucks. That’s really all I can say about it, man.”
The Knicks fans made the trip to Philadelphia in force. They drowned out the home crowd, and the players noticed.
“I was telling them, it felt louder here for them than it did in the Garden,” Maxey said. “We got to put a stop to it as a team. Winning these games, that’s gonna make our fans louder than theirs or whatever. I don’t know how to keep them out. I don’t know the logistics of it, but it does suck. I can’t even lie. It definitely does suck.”
The Sixers had restricted ticket sales to the Greater Philadelphia area residents and donated 500 tickets to local community groups ahead of the home games. It was not enough. The geofencing only applied to the primary ticket sales market on Ticketmaster. Secondary market platforms like StubHub and SeatGeek had no such restrictions.
Tickets were topping $1,000 in the lower bowl on the secondary market, and Knicks fans were willing to pay the price and make the drive.
It was a tough blow considering Philadelphia star Joel Embiid had specifically pleaded with 76ers fans after the Boston series.
“Don’t sell your tickets. This is bigger than you,” Embiid said. “We need you guys.”
It didn’t work.
Philadelphia was outscored by 119 points across the four-game series and enters the offseason having lost four in a row. The Sixer have not advanced past the conference semifinals in 25 years – since Allen Iverson led the team to the NBA Finals.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Knicks fans take over Philadelphia 76ers arena. Tyrese Maxey hates it
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