CLEVELAND — It’s an orange and blue wave.
Riled-up Knicks fans have taken over Cleveland on the eve of Game 4 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals against the Cavaliers on Monday — taking advantage of bargain-rate ticket prices in the Ohio city.
Thousands of Big Apple hoops faithful flocked to Rocket Arena for a chance to watch the Knicks sweep the Cavs and earn their first trip to the finals in 27 years — and a shot at the first championship in 53 years.
“It’s insane. We weren’t even planning on staying,” said diehard fan Monica Martinez, who told The Post she drove for six hours to get to Cleveland. “We extended our trip. I waited 25 years for this, so we are going to do it all and do it up.”
Many wallet-conscious New Yorkers said they made the trip to Cleveland since they wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford to see their favorite team play at Madison Square Garden, where tickets cost hundreds to thousands of dollars.
Most paid between just $150 and $200 to get into Rocket Arena.
Forest Hills resident Vernon Balanza said he copped tickets to Game 3 on Saturday for just $137 — a far cry from the arm-and-a-leg cost to get into the Garden for a playoff game.
“It’s just too expensive,” Balanza said of the World’s Most Famous Arena in Manhattan. “The cheapest ticket is like $500, $600. Even then, I can’t get myself to pay for that.”
Brooklyn native Archer Batravil, who now calls Miami home, made the trip from the Sunshine State.
“It means the world to me as a born and bred New Yorker, living and dying with every shot,” he said. “It’s been [27] years since 1999. I’m ready for the revenge game against the Spurs.”
The San Antonio Spurs, who beat the Knicks in the 1999 NBA Finals, are currently dueling with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals.
Even former Knick Stephon Marbury got into the action. A clip posted on X captured the former hoopster rallying passengers on a flight to Cleveland for the game.
“After the game, not before the game, we going crazy,” he said. “Go New York, go New York go!”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
