The Detroit Pistons made headlines this week for restricting ticket sales at Little Caesars Arena for their first-round playoff series against the New York Knicks. This move is not uncommon for teams, though they clearly want the building to be filled with Pistons fans when the series heads to Detroit for Games 3 and 4.
Knicks’ Josh Hart sees why the Pistons are restricting ticket sales
Knicks forward Josh Hart spoke on the restriction by the Pistons and said that he understands the move, considering what happened last postseason.
“After [what happened in] Philly last year, I don’t blame ‘em,” Hart said, via Peter Botte of the New York Post. “New York, they have the best fans in the world, that’s the one thing that’s different about this fan base is how they travel. It’s cool to see the difference. I was in LA and the Lakers have one of the biggest fan bases in the world. There’s Lakers fans everywhere. So it’s tough to see how they travel, because there’s just so many fans anywhere in the country.”
The Philadelphia 76ers attempted a similar tactic last postseason by restricting sales to the surrounding area. However, their plan did not work as Knicks fans still filled the arena and overwhelmed the 76ers fans in attendance.
That ultimately played a huge part in the Knicks taking down the 76ers in six games, and fans have made their presence felt whenever New York comes to town.
The fans make a big difference in the playoffs
Even during the regular season, Knicks fans were loud and were chanting “MVP, MVP, MVP” at Jalen Brunson and would also break out loud “Let’s Go Knicks!” chants if they were winning on the road. Knicks fans have made it known how well they travel, and they will try to do that again during the postseason.
Pistons fans, however, are hungry for some success, especially after the disaster that they endured last season. They brought the energy that the team wants to feed off of in their last regular season matchup earlier this month, and the fans helped Detroit overcome a double-digit deficit to defeat the Knicks for the third time this season.
The Pistons will need the fans to bring that same energy this upcoming series, as they are major underdogs in the series against New York. Game 1 of the series tips off on Saturday at 6 P.M. EST at Madison Square Garden and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.