Joel Embiid has urged 76ers fans not to sell their playoff tickets to Knicks supporters. The Sixers need Embiid, the 2023 NBA MVP, who missed Game 2 against the Knicks due to injuries. The Knicks lead the series 2-0, with Games 3 and 4 in Philadelphia on Friday and Sunday.
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New York Knicks’ Jalen Brunson reacts while watching from the bench during the second half of Game 1 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series against the Philadelphia 76ers Monday, May 4, 2026, in New York. A Philadelphia 76ers’ fan reacts during final minute of Game 3 against the Boston Celtics in a first-round NBA playoffs basketball series Friday, April 24, 2026, in Philadelphia.
A Philadelphia 76ers’ fan reacts during final minute of Game 3 against the Boston Celtics in a first-round NBA playoffs basketball series Friday, April 24, 2026, in Philadelphia. Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid celebrates following his team’s victory over the Boston Celtics after the Game 7 in a first-round NBA basketball playoffs series, Saturday, May 2, 2026 in Boston.
Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid celebrates following his team’s victory over the Boston Celtics after the Game 7 in a first-round NBA basketball playoffs series, Saturday, May 2, 2026 in Boston. New York Knicks’ Jalen Brunson reacts while watching from the bench during the second half of Game 1 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series against the Philadelphia 76ers Monday, May 4, 2026, in New York.
New York Knicks’ Jalen Brunson reacts while watching from the bench during the second half of Game 1 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series against the Philadelphia 76ers Monday, May 4, 2026, in New York. “Don’t sell your tickets,” Embiid said.
“This is bigger than you. We need you guys. ”on Wednesday night. It’s the Knicks who hold a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals when the series shifts to Philadelphia for Game 3 on Friday night and Game 4 on Sunday.
Spurred by affordable train fare, cheaper tickets compared to Madison Square Garden and a simply overzealous passion for Jalen Brunson,and the rest of the Knicks team stamped a legitimate NBA championship contender, New York fans have flooded Philly and provided a home-court edge on the road. The Sixers’ strategy to ward off Knicks fans in this playoff series was to try through Ticketmaster to geographically restrict sales. : “Xfinity Mobile Arena is located in Philadelphia, PA.
Sales to this event will be restricted to residents of Greater Philadelphia area. Residency will be based on credit card billing address. Orders by residents outside Greater Philadelphia area will be canceled without notice and refunds given. ”The 76ers — and other sports teams in all leagues that cut off sales outside city limits — essentially shut the front door of their home but leave all the windows open.
There are so many ways around the game plan through the various resale platforms — no proof-of-Philadelphia ID needed — it hardly seemed worth the effort. The splashy headline for a day could turn into a cold reality check on Friday night — there’s nothing that can prevent big-spending backers of the Knicks from buying from Philadelphia fans who choose to sell.
“I think they’re soft,” Knicks fan Bryan Reinah, of Queens, said at Game 2. “They’re afraid of the Knicks takeover. I think last time we played them it was 47% Knicks fans. Everybody hops on the trains and goes right down.
Tickets are cheaper and the Knicks fans travel well. They’re afraid of it. ”Of recent note, the Detroit Pistons tried the same tactic in last season’s playoffs and limited ticket sales on Ticketmaster to residents of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Ontario, Canada. The Carolina Hurricanes did the same to New York Rangers fans during the 2024 and 2022 NHL playoffs.
Ah, maybe not as the policy through the decades has enforcement well beyond the five boroughs. Take 2001, when Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis, a former senior executive with America Online, wrote a computer program that banned Pittsburgh residents from buying tickets on the Capitals’ website.
“Pretty cool, isn’t it? ” Leonsis said in 2001.
“I got a lot of emails from Pittsburgh saying I was mean-spirited and unfair. I don’t care. I’m going to keep doing it. ” The Sixers said this season’s effort was designed to ensure that tickets remained in the hands of local fans who have supported the team all season.
Ticketmaster put out a statement that covered its geo-fencing policy with a peppy social media post..
“Sometimes, sports teams put limits on who can buy tickets for big, in-demand matchups. This is a way to give local fans the best shot at attending the event and to limit scalpers who are located hundreds of miles away, who are trying to flip to the tickets just for a profit.
”When the Knicks played at Philadelphia in Game 6 of a first-round series in 2024, Sixers owners Josh Harris, David Blitzer and David Adelman andTickets for Game 3 on StubHub as of Thursday started at about $220 a pop in the upper deck and topped $1,000 in the lower bowl. The amount of blue-and-orange and Brunson jerseys in the stands on Friday night will be the final word on if Sixers fans were serious about listening to Embiid and keeping tickets in house.
Gelston is an an Associated Press sports writer covering major college and pro sports in Philadelphia, including the 76ers, Flyers, Eagles, Phillies and Villanova.
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