The Philadelphia 76ers' season has come to an end, and they could not have come up with a worse way to go out. On Sunday afternoon, the 76ers, despite being at home, was on the receiving end of a 144-114 beatdown as the New York Knicks laid the smackdown on Philly to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals after a 4-0 sweep.
The game was basically over after three quarters, although by the time the first quarter had ended, it never looked as though the 76ers even stood a little chance in winning Game 4. It did not help matters whatsoever that the 76ers' home turf gave way to a major invasion from Knicks fans, with many making the short travel to Philadelphia to cheer on the ECF-bound Knicks team.
With the Knicks on their way to sending the 76ers home, “Knicks in four” chants broke out, which was quite jarring considering how they were the road team but never felt like it. And after the game, Tyrese Maxey could not have been more displeased with that turn of events.
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“It's hard. It's definitely difficult,” Maxey said in his postgame presser, via Ducis Rodgers of WPVI. “It felt louder here than it did in the Garden. We got to put a' stop to it as a team. Winning these games, that's what's gonna make our fans louder than theirs. I don't know how to keep them out, the logistics of it. It does suck. I can't even lie. It definitely does suck.”
Sixers guard on Knicks fans taking over the arena – “it does suck. It definitely sucks.” pic.twitter.com/BiPVzCiwJG
— Ducis Rodgers (@duciswild) May 10, 2026
It will be impossible to keep Knicks fans out of the arena, as the geographical proximity makes it easy for them to come to the game in droves. But at least Maxey knows that the ultimate panacea to this is winning: if the 76ers had played better, then they certainly would have kept the mouths of Knicks fans shut.
The Philadelphia 76ers' season has come to an end, and they could not have come up with a worse way to go out. On Sunday afternoon, the 76ers, despite being at home, was on the receiving end of a 144-114 beatdown as the New York Knicks laid the smackdown on Philly to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals after a 4-0 sweep.