PHILADELPHIA (AP) 鈥� Bradley Cooper from his courtside seat at Game 6. The A-list actor had a few more 76ers fans join him Thursday night for Philadelphia's playoff game against New York 鈥� about 2,000 more courtesy of ticket giveaways from Sixers ownership.
The Sixers' strategy heading into Game 6 of their Eastern Conference first-round series was to keep Knicks fans out of Wells Fargo Center on Thursday night.
Team owners Josh Harris, David Blitzer and David Adelman and joined forces Wednesday to buy more than 2,000 tickets they who serve the Philadelphia community.
Wells Fargo Center seemed more like Madison Square Garden South during the on Sunday, prompting Sixers star Joel Embiid to express frustration about the home-court disadvantage.
On Tuesday, the Sixers won 112-106 in overtime in New York to cut their deficit to 3-2 in the best-of-seven series.
After the 2,000-plus Game 6 tickets were bought in bulk, Rubin announced on social media they would be given to first responders, health care professionals and other Philadelphia-based organizations.
Ali Benner, a registered nurse at Penn Medicine, jumped on a mass email sent to hospital employees offering first-come, first-serve tickets. She got a free pair of seats in section 120 (behind one of the baskets) and attended the game with her boyfriend. Tickets in that section were being offered for about $1,000 for a pair on various secondary markets shortly before tipoff.
鈥淚 think I was just quick and lucky,鈥� Benner said, wearing an Allen Iverson T-shirt.
Benner said she was probably going to watch Game 6 at a bar had she not received free tickets.
She said the New York takeover in Game 4 was 鈥渒ind of sad鈥� but credited Rubin and the Sixers for donating Game 6 tickets to Philadelphia-based organizations.
鈥淚 think it's pretty great,鈥� she said. 鈥淣ext week is Nurses' Appreciation week, so I think it's a really good way to kick it off and show some thanks to the healthcare workers.鈥�
Dawn Staley, coach of the NCAA champion South Carolina women鈥檚 basketball team and a Philadelphia native, also .
鈥淲e need everybody鈥檚 support, man,鈥� Sixers coach Nick Nurse said.
Game 4 last Sunday in Philadelphia had a decidedly Knicks sound down the stretch.
鈥淭he Philadelphia fanbase is, I said this before, they鈥檙e very relentless and very passionate. I mean, I鈥檓 an Eagles fan, I would know,鈥� said Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, who won two national championships playing collegiately for Villanova. 鈥淏ut seeing the Knicks here and hearing the Knicks here, it was pretty cool and it鈥檚 awesome.鈥�
Not for Embiid, who had to hear Brunson get louder chants of 鈥淢VP! MVP!鈥� than the guy who actually won the award last season.
鈥淚 love our fans but it was unfortunate. I鈥檓 not calling them out, but it is disappointing,鈥� Embiid said, adding that he鈥檚 aware that Knicks fans often make the short train trip for the road games.
鈥淏ut never seen it (like Sunday) and I鈥檝e been here for 10 years. Yeah, kind of (ticks) me off, especially because Philly is considered a sports town, so ... I don鈥檛 think that should happen. It鈥檚 not OK.鈥�
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AP NBA:
Dan Gelston, The Associated Press
