The New York Knicks swept the Cleveland Cavaliers, 4-0, in the Eastern Conference Finals to reach where they are now (up 2-0 in the NBA Finals).
As New York prepares itself to host Game 3 against the San Antonio Spurs, the rapper, Fat Joe, revealed a noteworthy conversation he had with the Knicks’ team owner, James Dolan, before Game 4 of the series against the Cavaliers.
The Knicks’ superfan revealed that the team owner took exception to hearing the news that the Cavaliers had denied courtside seats to Fat Joe and other fans of the Knicks for Game 4 in Cleveland.
“Mr. Dolan, the greatest team owner in the game. Very misunderstood, you know,” Fat Joe said while talking to the media. “They villainize Mr. Dolan, almost like a Bruce Wayne. Like a Batman movie, like this is Gotham City.”
“In Cleveland, I bought courtside. This is a real story, guys. They turned it away when they knew it was Fat Joe, the Knicks fan. Mr. Dolan was so pissed, he said, ‘Man, we go Game 5? I’m putting the owner on the upper deck!’ That’s when I really knew. He solidified it, I said this guy? He’s for us.”
It is a common practice in the NBA for home teams to ensure that only their fans have the floor seats at their home arena games. Even the Spurs reportedly began revoking the season membership of anyone they suspected of being involved in reselling their ticket, especially to the Knicks’ fans.
Even Dan Gilbert paid for 25 buses packed with the Cavaliers’ fans to attend their Game 7 in Detroit during the semifinals. So, ensuring the right crowd reaches the audience is something that all team owners are concerned with.
While team owners traveling with a team is not commonly seen in the league, James Dolan earned a lot of respect in Fat Joe’s eyes just by his words when he offered this gesture.
This shows how even the billionaire team owners have that sense of competition, where every act by the opposition is taken personally in the sportsman’s spirit. Even though Dolan may have earned Fat Joe’s respect as a team owner, he is currently also the subject of a lot of scrutiny from other fans of the Knicks.
From the steep ticket prices initially, to eventually inviting President Donald Trump to become the first-ever sitting President to attend an NBA Finals game, which led to the cancellation of the public watch party that the Knicks have always had outside Madison Square Garden, Dolan is facing a lot of criticism for his actions.
Moreover, Dolan’s rift with Charles Oakley is the reason why the Knicks legend has refused to attend the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden. So a lot of people are currently also not pleased with the billionaire Knicks owner right now.
But if the Knicks win the championship, it will be interesting to see what Dolan does after waiting several decades for that historic moment.
