The New York Knicks went into Rocket Arena and came away with two wins to sweep the Cleveland Cavaliers and secure a spot in the NBA Finals.
The Cavs didn’t go down without a fight, though.
Okay, maybe they did on the court, but off of it they made sure to pull out all the stops and give themselves the best advantage possible against an absolute freight train wearing blue and orange.
First, they tried to match New York’s “celebrity row,” which has become a staple along courtside of Madison Square Garden, by inviting Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift to yuck it up and chug some beers on the hardwood.
KNICKS TAKE COMMANDING 3-0 LEAD OVER CAVALIERS IN EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS
That didn’t work, as the Cavs got smacked around and ended up losing by double digits, so the next logical step was just to remove any and all celebrity Knicks fans from their courtside view and send them to the cheap seats.
That’s right, folks! According to the New York Post, as many as 10 Knicks fans, including rapper and superfan Fat Joe, were denied from buying courtside seats during Game 3 and Game 4 in Cleveland.
“We had bought some courtside tickets to the game and once they found out it was superfan Fat Joe, they was like, I can’t sit courtside. New York Knick fans can’t sit courtside,” Fat Joe said on ESPN’s “NBA Today.” “They took the tickets away courtside after we purchased it, so shame on you all.”
HOWARD STERN SAYS HE ONLY WILL ATTEND A KNICKS GAME IF GIVEN FRONT ROW SEATS: ‘FIRST-ROW TYPE PERSON’
Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert also reportedly made ticketholders with courtside seats sign a DocuSign stating that they would not resell their seats, lest they would be hit with a “lifetime ban.”
The Cavaliers provided a response to the Post regarding the matter.
“Playoff courtside seating is governed by a specific agreement that prohibits the resale or transfer of tickets without approval,” a Cavaliers spokesperson said. “All courtside ticket holders are required to comply with the terms of the single-game playoff agreement.”
On one hand, Fat Joe and the rest of the Knicks fans who were moved to the rafters have every right to be upset.
They paid for those seats fair and square.
However, I have to hand it to the Cavaliers and their ownership group, because that’s playoff hoops, baby.
You really need to be doing everything in your power to help your team win, and this is just the kind of psychological edge I can appreciate.
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Did it work? No. But kudos to everyone involved for trying something different.
If I owned a team, you had better believe I’m trying everything to help my guys gain an edge, so I can’t knock the hustle from Gilbert and co.
The good news is that the Cavs have all offseason to figure out a different way to get to their first-ever NBA Finals without LeBron James in a Cleveland jersey.
I believe in you guys!
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