Knicks and Their Fans' Road Warrior Reputation Will Help Overcome 76ers

In a move to combat New York Knicks fans from hopping on the Acela express or making the 100-mile drive down the turnpike, the Philadelphia 76ers have restricted ticket sales for the semifinals to just residents of the greater Philadelphia area. Residency was based on credit card billing addresses and orders by residents outside area were canceled without notice and given refunds.

Two springs ago New Yorkers turned Wells Fargo Center into MSG South with Jalen Brunson even receiving loud M-V-P chants. The invasion was so palpable that star big man Joel Embiid is pleading ahead of this series with 76ers fans to combat the high Knicks fan presence in City of Brotherly Love.

However, the big man's urges, and Philly's great ticketing lengths, don't pose any real worries for New York and its fans.

Road games in Philly will still feel like Knicks home games

While the Sixers are trying to protect their home-court by begging their fans to show up, the Knicks have proven over the last few years to be road warriors. New York clinched its first round matchups on the road in each of the last four seasons" in Cleveland, Philadelphia, Detroit and a few days ago in Atlanta

Last spring, the Knicks were 6-3 away from Madison Square Garden during the postseason, tying the 1998-99 team for the most road victories in franchise history during a single postseason. In those six wins, the Knicks trailed in the fourth quarters in five of them and dug out of three 20-point holes, making them the first team to do that in one postseason dating back to 1997.

Aside from having to erase those deficits, the Knicks also had to close out each win in the waning minutes with the average margin of victory being a measly 2.7 points in those six games. These veteran-laden Knicks thrive in crunch time and especially when being jeered in unfamiliar confines.

During the regular season, the Knicks were 30-10 at the World's Most Famous Arena, which was good for the fourth best home record in the league behind the Thunder, Spurs and Pistons. In four regular season matchups with the Sixers, the Knicks went 2-2 with the road team winning each game.

It seems that the concept of “home-court advantage” is dwindling across the league in recent years. It helps New York that the Villanova trio of Brunson, Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges called Wells Fargo Center (and Philadelphia) home during their time playing for Jay Wright. It also helps that Knicks fans are some of the best traveling fans in all of sports.

"They're probably the best fans in terms of traveling and going to games doing those kind of things," Hart told the media on Sunday. "Probably because it might be cheaper to do that than to go to the Garden."

Knicks fans are still expected to flood Philadelphia through secondary market purchases. Some of that is due to how passionate the fanbase is, and some of it has to do with real fans being priced out of MSG. The get-in prices for The Mecca are roughly $500 while that number is in the $300 range for Philly.

The Knicks have proven to be resilient away from home in the playoffs. And fans have proven to take over on the road, especially in Philadelphia.

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