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Jalen Brunson was one of the big reasons why the New York Knicks eliminated the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs. Brunson added salt to the wound of Sixers fans after low-key mocking the team's owners like Michale Rubin. They bought 2,000 tickets to prevent Knicks fans from invading the Wells Fargo Center.
However, it didn't work, as there were still a lot of loud Knicks fans in attendance, and New York held on to get a 118-115 win. Brunson was very thankful to their fanbase who made the short trip to Philly, in an interview with "Inside the NBA" after the game.
"This crowd is crazy. I'm just happy we got enough Knicks fans down here. They didn't buy all the tickets. I'm really happy about that," Brunson said.
What did Michael Rubin and the rest of the Sixers ownership do before the game?
One of the minority owners of the Philadelphia 76ers is Michael Rubin, the CEO of Fanatics. Rubin has a reported net worth of $11.5 billion, so along with other team owners like Josh Harris, David Blitzer and David Adelman decided to buy 2,000 tickets for Game 6 and give it away to Sixers fans.
The owners did it in response to the number of New York Knicks fans who took over the Wells Fargo Center in Game 4. Joel Embiid even complained about it after the game and called for more support from Sixers fans. The ownership responded, but it backfired.
Jalen Brunson was not messing around, finishing with 41 points, three rebounds and 12 assists. Brunson found Josh Hart for an open 3-point shot with less than 30 seconds left, knocking it down to give the Knicks a three-point lead. They held on after Brunson hit two clutch free throws to ice the game.
What's next for Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks?
Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks are in for a big showdown against Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers in the second round. It's a battle between two of the best point guards in the NBA and a renewed rivalry for two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.
The Knicks and the Pacers face each other in the playoffs for the first time since 2013. The Knicks are 0-3 against the Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinals, with Indiana winning four out of their seven postseason series matchups.
New York has not beaten Indiana in a playoff series since the 1999 Eastern Conference finals. The Pacers have won the last two postseason matchups against the Knicks in the 2000 Eastern Conference finals and 2013 Eastern Conference semifinals.
