On Sunday, Knicks fans packed the arena, cheering for their team as they triumphed over the Philadelphia 76ers, who seemed intent on stopping Game 4 of the playoffs.
“It’s just awful,” lamented Sixers supporter Tiffany Fenstermaker, speaking with the Post during halftime. “The entire place is filled with Knicks fans!”
According to stadium security, “about 90 percent” of the crowd rallied behind the Knicks. “You primarily see blue and orange,” he noted.
This surge of support from New York followed Sixers star Joel Embiid’s call for local ticket holders to refrain from selling their tickets to New Yorkers.
Knicks enthusiasts took over the stadium, filled shuttle buses, and joined away games, despite the Sixers’ attempts to limit ticket sales to those from the local area.
The guard mentioned he couldn’t blame Sixers fans, as selling tickets to New York supporters proved to be a lucrative decision.
Gilberto Santiago, a Knicks fan from East Harlem, expressed his excitement over purchasing resale tickets at a significantly lower price than he would have at Madison Square Garden.
On the other side, Tayheem, a Sixers fan, described New York’s strong presence as a “travesty” for local supporters.
“I can’t stand it,” he stated, especially as his team fell behind by 30 points at halftime. “I don’t even want to watch this awful score, brother.”
Some Philadelphia fans opted to leave the game early. One father reflected on his decision, gesturing toward his young son.
“They’re all Knicks fans. They bought all the tickets,” he remarked.
“We’re taking over!” exclaimed Knicks fan Jimmy Middleton outside, celebrating their victory of 144-114 that took them to the Eastern Conference finals.
Boisterous shouts of “Welcome to Southern New York!” emerged from the crowd.
Chris Washington, a 46-year-old from Harlem, declared, “New Yorkers are everywhere.”
Florence Clark assured that daily visitors from New York consume cheesesteaks at her establishment, Geno’s Steak in Philadelphia.
“No matter what the Sixers did, I was going to root for the Knicks,” he said, admiring the sea of blue and orange.
Some Philly residents had reacted coldly to New York fans recently, with businesses across the region removing “Philly” from cheesesteak menus.
“New York is just a pack of, well, jerks,” Florence Clark criticized.
Matthew Meehan, a 21-year-old Sixers fan, asserted, “Nobody in their right mind orders a cheesesteak outside of Philadelphia,” while enjoying a snack at Pat King of Steaks.
“I wouldn’t even consider it unless the bread was imported,” he scoffed.
Interestingly, a few New York fans admitted that Embiid’s challenge was the catalyst for their ticket purchases. “When someone tells you not to do something, it sparks a desire to do it,” shared Kabobs, a 30-year-old Knicks fan from Springfield, Virginia. “That’s why I got tickets when Embiid said not to sell to New Yorkers.”
