-
Follow Us
On Facebook
On Flipboard
On Twitter
Fans of the New York Knicks made their presence known in Game 4 of the first round against the Philadelphia 76ers, as the amount of Knicks fans at Wells Fargo Center made the arena sound like Madison Square Garden as they won by a score of 97-92 and now lead the series 3-1.
Knicks fans filled the Wells Fargo Center in Game 4
From the MVP chants to Knicks players to the loud cheering when the Knicks would hit big shots or make key defensive plays, Philadelphia really did not get the home-court advantage they were hoping to have, and now head back to New York with their season on the ropes.
The significant amount of support by Knicks fans left a bad taste in the mouth of 76ers star Joel Embiid, who scored just one point in the fourth quarter Sunday. After the game, Embiid took a slight at Philadelphia fans for being unable to match the energy Knicks’ fans gave at their home court.
“Disappointing. I love our fans. Think it’s unfortunate and I’m not calling them out, but it is disappointing,” said Embiid via New York Daily News’ Kristian Winfield. “Obviously you got a lot of Knicks fans and they’re down the road and 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 okay.”
Others showed support for all of the fans
On the other hand, 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey had a much different response to the fan partisanship in Game 4, demonstrating more gratitude for the home fans that did show their support.
“It was the same crowd as last time, our crowd did a great job though. We appreciate them,” said Maxey via SNY.
Knicks fans have been known to travel well for most of the season, as they have shown out at most road games this year including games at Miami, Boston, and now Philadelphia. Their support has been paramount to the Knicks’ success on the road this year, and the passionate fanbase has had plenty to cheer about with the team just one win away from the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Jalen Brunson, who has heard chants of MVP at nearly every venue he has played in this season, touched on the overwhelming support demonstrated by Knicks fans while playing these playoff games on the road.
“This Philadelphia fanbase is very relentless, very passionate, I’m an Eagles fan I would know,” said Brunson via SNY. “Seeing the Knicks here, hearing the Knicks here was pretty cool. It’s awesome.”
Brunson is back to his usual self
Brunson put on a show for the Knicks fans that made the trip to Philadelphia, as he set a new franchise record for most points scored in a playoff game with 47 points in Sunday’s Game 4. He also added 10 assists to his tally, his second consecutive double-double.
After two inefficient performances to open the series, Brunson is back to being the MVP-caliber player that he was during the regular season. If he continues to play that way, the Knicks can go far in the playoffs, even without the services of Julius Randle.
The series heads back to the Garden on Tuesday, where the Knicks will look to close out the series and advance to the second round.
More must-reads:
- Celtics finally put away undermanned Cavaliers, advance to conference finals
- DeMar DeRozan confirms desire to return to Bulls
- The 'No. 1 overall NBA draft pick' quiz
Breaking News
Customize Your Newsletter
+
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!
