Josh Hart has faith Knicks fans will ‘find a way’ to invade Detroit despite ticket safeguards

Josh Hart has religion successful resourceful Knicks fans procuring tickets adjacent week successful Detroit contempt restrictions that could support New Yorkers from invading Little Caesars Arena for their first-round NBA playoff series.

“After [what happened in] Philly past year, I don’t blasted ’em,” Hart said Wednesday, referring to the oversea of bluish and orange-clad fans astatine Wells Fargo Center successful Philadelphia during nan first information successful 2024. “New York, they person nan champion fans successful nan world, that’s nan 1 point that’s different astir this instrumentality guidelines is really they travel. It’s cool to spot nan difference. I was successful LA and nan Lakers person 1 of nan biggest instrumentality bases successful nan world. There’s Lakers fans everywhere. So it’s reliable to spot really they travel, because there’s conscionable truthful galore fans anyplace successful nan country.

“But past seeing nan Knicks fans, you spot and you perceive everything astir everyone’s walking and getting tickets and flights and those benignant of things. So it’s really cool. It’s really cool to spot that. And knowing Knicks fans, they’re gonna find a measurement to get those tickets. So I cognize they’re not really excessively stressed. The only measurement for them not to get those tickets is if nan [Pistons] proprietor buys a mates 1000 tickets.”

Knicks defender Josh Hart (3) erstwhile nan New York Knicks practiced Wednesday, April 16, 2025. Robert Sabo for NY Post

The Pistons placed geographical restrictions connected who tin acquisition tickets to their location playoff games, though a squad spokesperson said it was much directed astatine summons brokers and not a nonstop effort to artifact Knicks fans from storming their downtown arena erstwhile nan bid shifts backmost to Motown for Game 3 adjacent Thursday night.

Still, imaginable summons buyers for upcoming postseason games successful Detroit — which besides see Game 4 adjacent Sunday and a imaginable Game 6 connected May 1 — must usage a in installments paper pinch a mailing reside “located successful Michigan and successful definite parts of Ohio, Indiana and Ontario, Canada,” according to Ticketmaster.

The restrictions evidently would not impact purchases connected nan secondary market.

“We implemented geo-fencing for 2 main reasons. First, we saw a precocious measurement of summons brokers attempting to bargain up ample blocks of tickets — particularly nan much affordable options — during our presale,” a Pistons spokesperson told The Post connected Sunday. “Second, for illustration galore teams and organizations crossed nan intermezo industry, we proceed to look ongoing threats of fraud. Geo-fencing is 1 of nan devices utilized to thief protect against that and guarantee a amended acquisition for our fans.

“This attack is not astir keeping immoderate peculiar group out. It’s astir protecting our fans and maintaining nan integrity of our ticketing process.”

New York Knicks fans cheer connected their squad during nan 4th fourth during nan playoffs astatine Wells Fargo Center past year. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

Knicks fans often person taken complete roadworthy arenas successful Brooklyn, Philadelphia and southeast cities specified arsenic Washington, Atlanta, Charlotte, Miami and Orlando — though not usually successful Detroit.

The Pistons, who moved from their longtime location The Palace astatine Auburn Hills to downtown successful 2017, improved by 30 wins from an NBA-worst 14-68 people past play to scope nan playoffs for nan first clip since 2019.