Why the 76ers are giving away free playoff tickets to Philly fans for Knicks games
Why the 76ers are giving away free playoff tickets to Philly fans for Knicks games originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . The Philadelphia 76ers are hoping that coming home will help turn their series around against the New York Knicks , and they are doing everything they can to create a true home-court advantage.
With Knicks fans threatening to make the trip to Xfinity Mobile Arena and cut into the 76ers crowd, Philadelphia is reserving 500 tickets during Games 3 and 4 to give to select Philadelphia fans for free. This allows the 76ers to do right by the Philadelphia community while also trying to keep Knicks fans out of the arena. Here's a look at why the 76ers are donating tickets to the community this weekend.
NBA PLAYOFFS HQ: Live NBA scores | NBA playoff schedule | NBA playoff bracket Why the 76ers are giving away free playoff tickets to Philly fans In an attempt to make sure Knicks fans don't overtake Xfinity Mobile Arena in Games 3 and 4, the 76ers are giving away 500 tickets to "area community groups," according to ESPN . Leading into Friday night's game, Ticketmaster restricted those who could buy tickets geographically to anyone in the general Philadelphia area. Two years ago, when the 76ers and Knicks played in the first round of the playoffs, New York fans had a strong presence during the Philadelphia games, which included a close-out Game 6.
It stuck in the minds of 76ers players, who made a plea to Philadelphia fans to show out this weekend. "Last time we played the Knicks, it felt like this was Madison Square Garden East. So we're going to need the support," Embiid said after Game 1 .
"Don't sell your tickets. This is bigger than you. We need you guys.