The Philadelphia 76ers are flying high after Tuesday night’s overtime win over the New York Knicks, and Philly super fan Dawn Staley is pumped.
The Knicks are still up 3-2 in the playoff series, but the 76ers return home for Game 6 Thursday night.
And that prompted Staley to send a stern message to Philly fans. The South Carolina Gamecocks head coach, who recently led her team to the women’s NCAA Tournament championship, tweeted out her message to 76ers fans shortly after the team’s OT win in Game 4.
“I need the @WellsFargoCtr full of @sixers fans,” Staley wrote. “Season tickets holders DO NOT SELL YOUR TICKETS to Knicks fans….I repeat DO NOT SELL YOUR TICKERS to Knicks fans! Pour into our @sixers! We can really do this ish man!!!”
Knicks fans traditionally travel well, and NY and Philadelphia are separated by less than 100 miles, so there are always plenty of New York fans on hand at Wells Fargo Center. But the situation has been especially noticeable in this playoff series, as Knicks faithful have come in huge numbers and been very vocal.
76ers center Joel Embiid addressed the issue after Sunday’s Game 4 loss.
“I think it’s unfortunate, and I’m not calling them out, but it is disappointing,” Embiid told reporters. “Obviously, you got a lot of Knicks fans, and they’re down the road. (But) I’ve never seen it, and I’ve been here for 10 years. Yeah, it kind of pisses me off, especially because Philly is considered a sports town. They’ve always shown up, and I don’t think that should happen. Yeah, it’s not OK.”
Staley, a Philadelphia native, will definitely be there for Game 6. The cameras have found her on a regular basis during this playoff series Here she is posing for a photo with two of the franchise’s greatest players, Julius Erving and Allen Iverson.
[Dawn Staley; Photo Credit: Sporting News via X/Twitter]
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.