{"id":189943,"date":"2026-05-12T08:31:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T08:31:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/189943\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T08:31:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T08:31:17","slug":"i-used-to-think-philly-was-a-sports-town","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/189943\/","title":{"rendered":"‘I used to think Philly was a sports town’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Josh Hart<\/a> is among the Knicks<\/a> who played college basketball at Villanova, so he knows a thing or two about Philadelphia sports.<\/p>\n

But the Knicks fans\u2019 jarring takeover of Philly\u2019s Xfinity Mobile Arena over the weekend just might have changed his perspective.<\/p>\n

\u201cI used to think Philly was a sports town,\u201d Hart said with a smile Sunday after the Knicks completed a sweep of the Philadelphia 76ers<\/a> in the Eastern Conference semifinals.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know if it is anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a scene reminiscent of the teams\u2019 2024 first-round series, an overwhelming contingent of Knicks fans invaded the Sixers\u2019 home arena and, well, made itself right at home.<\/p>\n

During Sunday afternoon\u2019s series-ending Game 4 \u2014 which the Knicks won, 144-114 \u2014 the New York fans booed Joel Embiid loudly and taunted him with posters showing Mitchell Robinson dunking on him two days earlier.<\/p>\n

They roared when Robinson made back-to-back free throws, then stuck around to chant \u201cKnicks in 4\u201d at a similar decibel as the so-called \u201cMother\u2019s Day massacre\u201d neared its merciful end.<\/p>\n

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 \u2014 a viral moment that she impressively took in stride<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt absolutely sucks, if I\u2019m being honest,\u201d 76ers star Tyrese Maxey said of the Knicks fans\u2019 presence. \u201cIt just sucks, bro. It just sucks, man. It sucks. That\u2019s all I can really say about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ahead of the series, Embiid urged Philly fans not to sell their tickets<\/a>, eager to avoid a repeat of the Knicks fans\u2019 2024 incursion<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Sixers took part in that effort, too, by restricting original ticket sales to residents of the Greater Philadelphia area and by donating seats to local community groups<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But that wasn\u2019t enough to deter Knicks fans \u2014 not with Philadelphia a mere 90 miles away from Manhattan, and not with how much cheaper the tickets were compared to games at Madison Square Garden.<\/p>\n

By Friday afternoon, the ticket resale marketplace TickPick said nearly 61% of purchases through their platform for that night\u2019s Game 3 had come from New York and New Jersey, compared to 21.7% from Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n

At that time, 66% of TickPick purchases for Sunday\u2019s Game 4 had come from New York and New Jersey, compared to 17.3% from Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt felt louder here for them than it did in the Garden,\u201d Maxey said after Sunday\u2019s loss. \u201cBut we\u2019ve got to put a stop to it as a team. Winning these games, that\u2019s what\u2019s gonna make our fans louder than theirs. I don\u2019t know how to keep them out. I don\u2019t know the logistics of it. But it does suck. I can\u2019t even lie.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Knicks treated the fans who made the trip to a historic performance, making 12 of their first 13 attempts from 3-point range and tying an NBA record with 18 made 3-pointers in the first half.<\/p>\n

They finished 25-of-44 (56.8%) on 3-pointers as they wrapped up their fourth win by at least 29 points in this postseason.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know that we travel well, and obviously, being close to New York helps,\u201d said Knicks star Jalen Brunson, who also played at Villanova. \u201cIt\u2019s a really cool feeling. It\u2019s something I will always think is one of the coolest things in the world, when you hear Knicks fans in opposing arenas. It\u2019s a really cool feeling. I can\u2019t lie.\u201d<\/p>\n

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