The Philadelphia 76ers had a tough Sunday afternoon in their playoff series against the New York Knicks. For the fourth time in the series, Philadelphia held a double-digit lead. But, for the third time, they failed to hold onto that lead, losing 97-92.
The brilliance of Knicks’ star point guard Jalen Brunson and the team’s overall defensive intensity was too much for the 76ers to overcome. They didn’t even have the luxury of motivation from the home crowd to rely on when the game got close.
For the second time in the series, Knicks fans invaded Wells Fargo Center and took over. Loud chants rained down in favor of the orange and blue, which is certainly not the norm for a regularly raucous Philadelphia crowd.
After Game 3, 76ers’ star Joel Embiid voiced his frustrations and disappointment with away fans taking up so much of the arena. In a 76ers win, their fans were still heard from. But, in a Game 4 loss, it was the Knicks fans who once again dominated the top of discussion after the game.
Embiid took a little bit of a shot at the fans who cheer him on, as he was disappointed that the red, white and blue of the 76ers were drowned out by the orange and blue of the Knicks. Down 3-1 in the series, there wasn’t much for Philadelphia fans to celebrate.
“Disappointing,” Embiid said, when asked about the Knicks’ fan support Sunday. “I love our fans. Think it’s unfortunate, and I’m not calling them out, but it is disappointing. Obviously, you got a lot of Knicks fans, and they’re down the road.
“[But] I’ve never seen it, and I’ve been here for 10 years. Yeah, it kind of pisses me off, especially because Philly is considered a sports town. They’ve always shown up, and I don’t think that should happen. Yeah, it’s not OK.”
The 76ers aren’t the first team to experience this when playing against the Knicks and certainly won’t be the last. Alas, having it occur in a regular season game, as it does in several cities around the NBA, is vastly different than it happens during an NBA Playoff game.
Going to Philadelphia was certainly an appealing thing for Knicks fans. Tickets cost a fraction of the price as it does to get into Madison Square Garden and the Wells Fargo Center being a quick train ride away certainly doesn’t hurt either.
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