Mavs Fans Boo Travis Kelce, Cheer Patrick Mahomes As Chiefs Stars Attend WCF Game 3
Kansas City Chiefs players Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce appeared at Sunday's Dallas Mavericks home playoff games, and the players set off completely different reactions from the Mavs fans. Brittany Mahomes, who had a strong Sports Illustrated Swimsuit debut, and new Chiefs wideout Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown also attended the game.
In the group, Kelce appeared first on the Jumbotron, greeted with jeers from the crowd. Evidently, not many Kelce fans, if any, made it to the American Airlines Center on Sunday.
DALLAS, TX - MAY 26: Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Marquise Brown sit court side during the game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Dallas Mavericks during Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals of the 2024 NBA Playoffs on May 26, 2024 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
When Patrick Mahomes appeared on the big screen with Mrs. Mahomes, the crowd went wild. The crowd sounded much warmer toward Pat compared to Kelce.
Videos circulated on social media, humorously pointing out the massive shift from booing Kelce to cheering the Mahomes family.
What exactly did Travis do to hurt these fans … ?
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The Texas crowd favored Mahomes by a mile, likely due to his deep roots in The Lone Star State. Mahomes was born in Tyler, TX, and played football for Texas Tech University, and is also known as a Mavericks fan.
On the other hand, Kelce's celebrity status this last year has created some detractors.
DALLAS, TX - MAY 26: Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce sit court side during the game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Dallas Mavericks during Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals of the 2024 NBA Playoffs on May 26, 2024 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)
All the Taylor Swift buzz surrounding Kelce last season made ardent football fans wonder if the NFL lost its focus on football by enabling the spotlight on Swift and Kelce's relationship.
There is also the "Mr. Pfizer" storyline in Kelce's recent season, which, by some estimates, gave him the appearance of a sellout.
Travis Kelce did get respect from one cool cat in the building: Dallas' Luka Doncic. Kelce linked up with Doncic after the Slovenian balled out against the Timberwolves. Dallas' incredible postseason momentum carried them to a 3-0 series lead after Sunday's 116-107 win.
And Doncic, like Kelce (if we're being fair), is peaking at the right time of his respective calendar year. Kelce's attention to football was disputed in the regular season with his collection of commercial and public appearances. However, Kelce's superb postseason production reminded us that the Chiefs TE can flip a switch from static to elite at any moment. In four games last postseason (en route to a Super Bowl win), Kelce recorded 355 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns.
DALLAS, TX - MAY 26: Brittany Mahomes, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Marquise Brown sit court side during the game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Dallas Mavericks during Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals of the 2024 NBA Playoffs on May 26, 2024 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)
Looking to take a commanding 3-0 advantage, Doncic flipped the switch against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday. He recorded 33 points, seven rebounds, five assists and five steals. The Mavericks' role players, including P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford, also stepped up at the right moments.
Doncic's postseason dominance has been box office. Luka's shot over Rudy Gobert to seal the Game 2 win on Friday set the conversation around Luka vs. Anthony Edwards on fire.
As the NBA scrambles to find its next-generation superstar, Doncic is making his case over Edwards with his ridiculous 2024 season — finishing as the regular-season scoring champ (33.9 points per game) and now a win away from his first Finals appearance.
DALLAS, TEXAS - MAY 26: Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks reacts during the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game Three of the Western Conference Finals at American Airlines Center on May 26, 2024 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
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