The Philadelphia 76ers are giving away 500 free playoff tickets to select fans for Games 3 and 4 against the New York Knicks to enhance home-court advantage. This initiative aims to strengthen community ties and limit Knicks fan presence at the arena.
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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.
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The 76ers are giving away free playoff tickets to enhance their home-court advantage and support the Philadelphia community.
The 76ers are offering 500 free tickets for Games 3 and 4 against the New York Knicks.
Reserving tickets for Philadelphia fans aims to prevent Knicks fans from dominating the crowd at the Xfinity Mobile Arena.
The tickets are being given away for Games 3 and 4 of the playoff series against the New York Knicks.
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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. The atmosphere we've had the last couple games in Philly, especially the last one pushing it to Game 7, I mean, we need all of it."
Additionally, per StubHub, Knicks fans have done their best to try and get a significant portion of tickets in Philadelphia.
The 76ers are dividing 500 tickets in Game 3 and 500 tickets in Game 4 among members of the Philadelphia community.
In Game 3, the team is giving 250 to front-line workers at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and Penn Medicine, and 250 to local educators determined by Learn Fresh and Breakthrough of Greater Philadelphia, the Philadelphia school district, and the Camden, New Jersey, school district. Then, in Game 4, the team is giving 500 tickets to mothers and children chosen by Uplift Center for Grieving Children, Boys and Girls Club of Philadelphia, La Liga del Barrio, and Apologues.
"We love this city and the intensity and passion of our fans. We know they'll bring it tonight and Sunday at our big playoff games at Xfinity Mobile Arena," 76ers owner Josh Harris said. This is also a tremendous opportunity to welcome fans who may not have otherwise had the chance to attend, so they can experience the Philly playoff energy live. To that end, we are thrilled to partner with several leading community organizations and donate tickets to educators, frontline medical personnel, and local families for our upcoming home games. This will be fun!"
According to SeatGeek, the lowest price for Friday night's game is $160, while the average price is around $321. For Sunday's Game 4, the cheapest ticket price increases to $189, but there are more seats available between $200-400 each.