The New York Knicks swept the Philadelphia 76ers in four games in the second round, finishing the job at Xfinity Mobile Arena on a night when the crowd sounded more like Manhattan than Philadelphia. It was New York’s first four-game sweep since 1999, and the reaction around Joel Embiid told the story before the game even tipped off: when his face flashed on the giant video screen, the building booed.
Josh Hart, who played at Villanova University and won a national championship there, seemed almost amused by the way the arena tilted toward New York. “I used to think Philly was a sports town,” Hart said. “I don’t know if it is anymore.” The line landed because the Knicks’ fans had already made that point for him, turning a road playoff game into a home-like scene for New York.
Tyrese Maxey put the frustration into words after the game. “It absolutely sucks,” he said of the situation with Knicks fans in Philadelphia. “That’s all I can really say about it.” He added, “It’s hard,” and later called it “definitely difficult.” He said the only answer was on the court: “There’s only one way to put a stop to it, and we have to go out there and win these games.”
The series had been headed that way for days. Embiid had pleaded with 76ers fans not to sell their tickets before this year’s matchup, after Knicks fans took over in Philadelphia during the teams’ 2024 playoff meeting. Ticket prices at Madison Square Garden have become very expensive, and that has helped make the trip to Philadelphia attractive for New York fans. Philadelphia is roughly 90 miles from Manhattan, or a little over a 90-minute drive without traffic, which makes the takeover easier than the distance suggests.
The atmosphere on Mother’s Day was especially jarring. The 76ers were staring at a 0-3 deficit while the Phillies were playing across the parking lot at the same time, yet the basketball crowd still tilted toward the visitors. Maxey said, “Just being completely honest, we were better when we played them in The Garden the entire season.” He added, “I know we lost games 2 and 1, but Game 2 was better, and the regular season was better,” then summed up the night this way: “I was telling them, it just felt louder here for them than it did in The Garden.”
For Philadelphia, the loss was not just a sweep. It was a reminder that in a rivalry built on home-court noise, the loudest voices in the building can belong to the other side.
