76ers donating playoff tickets to keep them from Knicks fans - ESPN

The Philadelphia 76ers will donate 500 tickets for each remaining home second-round playoff game to area community groups in their latest attempt to keep more of their own fans in the building and avoid a takeover by New York Knicks supporters.

The Sixers' previous strategy to ward off Knicks fans in this playoff series was to try through Ticketmaster to geographically restrict sales to the greater Philadelphia area.

When the teams met two years ago in the first round, Knicks fans swarmed Philadelphia, and Sixers All-Star center Joel Embiid pleaded with fans ahead of this series not to let it happen again.

«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. «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.»

The Sixers said 250 frontline medical personnel from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and Penn Medicine and 250 local educators selected by Learn Fresh, Breakthrough of Greater Philadelphia, the Philadelphia school district and Camden, New Jersey, school district would attend Game 3 on Friday night.

The 76ers will host 500 mothers and children selected by Uplift Center for Grieving Children, Boys and Girls Club of Philadelphia, La Liga del Barrio, and Apologues for Sunday's Game 4.

The Knicks lead the best-of-seven series 2-0.

«Good thing about New Yorkers, man, they're persistent. They don't care, bro. They're going to do it, man,» Knicks forward Josh Hart said entering the series. «And for a lot of people, everything revolves around money. So, you know, if they get a good price for