Josh Hart knows a thing or two about playing basketball in Philadelphia. Hart played college basketball at Villanova University, just a short drive outside Philadelphia, while the Wildcats hosted many of their marquee games at the former Wells Fargo Center, now known as the Xfinity Mobile Center, home of the Philadelphia 76ers.
So when New York Knicks fans not only dominated attendance in Games 3 and 4 but also literally owned the Sixers’ building, Josh admitted he feels fan support for the home team is no longer the same today.
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“I used to think Philly was a sports town, I don’t know if it is anymore,” said Hart after Game 4.
Knicks blow out Sixers by 30 in Game 4
Well, it wasn’t really a surprise that the Knicks fans traveled with their team. That’s how they’ve always supported their squad, and we saw a huge contingent in Philly when the two teams met in the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
But what we saw in Games 3 and 4, where the Sixers’ arena turned into “Madison Square Garden East,” it was just an embarrassing look for the city; it was also disheartening to the players, especially Joel Embiid, who played in the playoffs coming off an appendectomy.
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Right after they eliminated the Boston Celtics, Embiid pleaded with their fans not to sell their tickets to Knicks fans, but the pleas fell on deaf ears as JoJo was on the receiving end of boos when he shot free throws in Game 3. Game 4 was worse, as Knicks fans distributed a photo of him being dunked on by Mitchell Robinson from the previous game and waved it each time he took a foul shot.
The only MVP not able to get his team past the second round
Embiid finished the game with 24 points on 8-8 shooting, including 2-2 from 3-point distance. But their dynamic backcourt of Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe combined for only 25 points on 10-30 shooting, as the Knicks literally ran away with Game 4 with the score of 144-114. Maxey expressed his frustration after the game.
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“It absolutely sucks. It just sucks, man….It’s hard,” said Maxey after the game. “It’s definitely difficult. There’s only one way to put a stop to it, and it’s that we have to go out there and win these games…It felt louder here than it did at the Garden. We got to put a stop ot Winning these games, that’s gonna make our fans louder than theirs or whatever.”
“I don’t know how to keep them out. I don’t know the logistics of it, but it does suck. I can’t even lie. It definitely does suck,” he added.
Maxey does have a point. But it’s not just home games that they have to win. The Sixers need to advance past the second round of the playoffs, something which they have been unable to do in the “Joel Embiid era.”
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Embiid is the only player to win the MVP award and not get past round two, and after another debacle this year, he might not get another chance to erase that dubious distinction. And until the Sixers show their fans they can do that, don’t expect them to be as loyal as they were during the rule of Dr. J or Allen Iverson.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on May 11, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.