3 Challenges the Knicks need to be prepared to overcome against the Pacers
By Jed Katz
3. A road crowd with not as many Knicks fans
It seemed like the Knicks played six straight home games, as so many fans were able to travel down the New Jersey Turnpike to get to Wells Fargo Center because of its proximity. This time, the Knicks will travel to the Midwest, where the chants for New York will be few and far between.
Joel Embiid was asked about the amount of Knicks fans in the Wells Fargo Center during games 3 and 4.
— PHLY Sixers (@PHLY_Sixers) April 28, 2024
"It kinda pisses me off, especially because Philly is considered a sports town. They've always showed up. I don't think that should happen. It's not okay. " pic.twitter.com/D7o35zi7k4
Even Michael Rubin and the Sixers buying 2,500 tickets for Game 6 couldn't keep Knicks fans out of Philly. There is a solid number of fans in enemy territory, but for round two, it looks like it will mainly be Pacers fans.
The crowd in Indiana is electric and underrated. Just listen to their crowd in their Game 6 victory against the Bucks.
The loud sea of yellow has the potential to be a factor, as we've seen with home-court advantage this playoffs. The home team went undefeated in Game 1 of each first-round series this season, and the only two teams without home-court advantage that ended up winning their respective series were the Pacers and Mavericks, with the Cavaliers-Magic series being decided on Sunday in Game 7.
manual