The Philadelphia 76ers are in the middle of turning the tables on the New York Knicks in Game 2 of the NBA playoffs. Fondly called “The Mecca” by almost everyone, the Madison Square Garden is also a popular place to look for celebrities. Top names in Hollywood and other sports fields always grace the NY arena with their presence. This time, Selena Gomez and boyfriend, Benny Blanco, were the recipients of reactions.
Unfortunately, not the good kind. The Knicks’ official X handle wasted no time and dropped an adorable photo of the couple on their page, accompanied by the caption, “The only place to be tonight,” followed by a camera emoticon.
In one pic, Selena is seen kissing Blanco on the cheek while the other is a cute, wholesome pose for the camera. But it would seem like fans don’t appreciate all this PDA (public display of affection) so much so that one commented, “No wonder why GET THE F**K OUT”.
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No wonder why GET THE FUCK OUT https://t.co/ZPFSPHuskn
— x-ʀᴏʟᴀɴᴅᴏ ᴊᴀʏɴᴇʀᴀʟ ᴍᴀɴᴀɢᴇʀ 🐉 (@rolandojfalcon) April 23, 2024
Of course, this is nothing new. Since Gomez went public with her relationship, fans, supporters, and social media users have attacked the 31-year-old singer and songwriter. But she remains strong under all the hate and continues to flaunt her relationship with the record producer every chance she gets.
But they weren’t the only ones who faced the heat this time around. It seems like the New York fans can get just as passionate as Philly. The Sixers beat reporter, Gina Mizell, shared a post that described the Embiid hate in the arena. “Jo was egging on the “F Embiid!” chants.”
Jo was egging on the "F Embiid!" chants.
— Gina Mizell (@ginamizell) April 23, 2024
But of course, none of these is going to shake the 76ers big man. He was quite literally the recipient of much hate and ridicule from his home fans and the world in general. Obviously, a few ‘F’ chants aren’t going to affect his focus as Philadelphia attempts to tie the series.
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The basketball faithful bash the lovely couple amidst the NBA playoffs hustle
If you thought the above Gomez-Blanco comment was the only one, you couldn’t be more wrong. Fans on X are berating the couple more or less for the team’s focus on them rather than the game or players. Take this fan, for example. A hardcore ‘New York fan’ (of all things NY – Yankees, Giants, etc.), commented, “Can we get more highlight videos and less pictures of these people, thanks.” Polite as a Canadian and sharp as a Brit!
Another user seems to have taken offense to Blanco’s fashion choices. “Loafers with no socks are grounds for deportation.” Then again, this isn’t the first Benny has become the favorite for his sock-less feet. The pair’s first appearance in public, at a Lakers game in fact, also saw him under fire for, first taking off his shoes, and second, the Birkenstock clog-clad feet were without socks.
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This next fan didn’t mince any words or take too much time to be diplomatic about his views. “They look pathetic, stop posting this.” And amidst all this, one fan just had to bring Joel Embiid into the fray. “celebrity row needs to take acting tips from Joel Embiid,” obviously referring to his penchant for selling fouls.
Anyway, it’s a stressful environment at MSG now as Philly is trying to tie the second round of the NBA playoffs. The Knicks, for their part, are looking to get the upper hand early with a 2-0 lead. With just 2 and a half minutes on the clock and the score at 96-97, this game could have gone either way. However, the Knicks managed to hold on and emerge victorious, 104-101, while injury concerns surrounded the mighty Embiid.