The Pistons placed geographical restrictions on who can buy tickets to their home playoff games, but said the tactic isn’t an try to keep Knicks supporters away from Little Caesars Arena, in keeping with a team spokesman.
Potential ticket buyers for upcoming playoff games in Detroit — which include Games 3 and 4 of the first-round series versus the Knicks — must produce a bank card with a mailing address “positioned in Michigan and in certain parts of Ohio, Indiana and Ontario, Canada,” in keeping with Ticketmaster.
The move prompted assumptions on social media that the Pistons were maintaining Detroit’s home-court crowd advantage by blocking the well-traveling Knicks fans, who invaded Philadelphia last season for the playoffs.
Nevertheless, the Pistons said they’re “geo-fencing” to limit other people — specifically brokers and frauds.
“We implemented geo-fencing for 2 foremost reasons. First, we saw a high volume of ticket brokers attempting to purchase up large blocks of tickets — especially the cheaper options — during our presale,” a Pistons spokesman told The Post. “Second, like many teams and organizations across the entertainment industry, we proceed to face ongoing threats of fraud. Geo-fencing is certainly one of the tools used to assist protect against that and ensure a greater experience for our fans.
“This approach isn’t about keeping any particular group out,” a Pistons spokesman told The Post. “It’s about protecting our fans and maintaining the integrity of our ticketing process.”Knicks fans are inclined to overwhelm opposing arenas, but not Detroit, which has a loyal fan base that’s fired up over the franchise’s first winning season since 2015-16. The franchises within the Southeast Division — Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets, Atlanta Hawks, Miami Heat and Orlando Magic — have an even bigger problem with Knicks fans takeovers.
Starting this weekend, the Knicks and Pistons, who haven’t faced off in a postseason series since 1992, play Games 1, 2, 5 (if needed) and seven (if needed) at MSG. Games 3, 4 and 6 (if needed) are in Detroit.
