Josh Hart after Knicks fans’ road invasion: ‘I used to think Philly was a sports town’
NEW YORK — Josh Hart is among the New York Knicks who played college basketball at Villanova, so he knows a thing or two about Philadelphia sports. But the Knicks fans’ jarring takeover of Philly’s Xfinity Mobile Arena over the weekend just might have changed his perspective. “I used to think Philly was a sports town,” Hart said with a smile Sunday after the Knicks completed a sweep of the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
“I don’t know if it is anymore. ” In a scene reminiscent of the teams’ 2024 first-round series, an overwhelming contingent of Knicks fans invaded the Sixers’ home arena and, well, made itself right at home. During Sunday afternoon’s series-ending Game 4 — which the Knicks won, 144-114 — the New York fans booed Joel Embiid loudly and taunted him with posters showing Mitchell Robinson dunking on him two days earlier.
They roared when Robinson made back-to-back free throws, then stuck around to chant “Knicks in 4” at a similar decibel as the so-called “Mother’s Day massacre” neared its merciful end. And they continued to party postgame, both inside and out of the arena. Some rowdy revelers even surrounded reporter Cheyenne Corin of the local TV station 6abc as she conducted a live broadcast from the concourse — a viral moment that she impressively took in stride.
“It absolutely sucks, if I’m being honest,” 76ers star Tyrese Maxey said of the Knicks fans’ presence. “It just sucks, bro. It just sucks, man.
It sucks. That’s all I can really say about it. ” Ahead of the series, Embiid urged Philly fans not to sell their tickets, eager to avoid a repeat of the Knicks fans’ 2024 incursion.