PHILADELPHIA — Wells Fargo Center, supposedly home to one of the nation’s hardcore sports fanbases, was overrun by Knicks chants Sunday and Joel Embiid wasn’t happy about it.
“I’ve never seen it, and I’ve been here for 10 years,” the Sixers center said. “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 OK.”
Among the loudest Knicks supporters was team employee and former player John Starks, who was animated in the front row and, at one point, exchanged words with Embiid and Sixers fans.
And after a fairly even split in the support noise, the Knicks fans, anticipating a victory not long before the buzzer of Sunday’s 97-92 win, erupted in an “MVP” chant for Jalen Brunson that couldn’t be drowned out no matter how much the Sixers fans and arena noise operators tried.
“Not gonna lie, this Philadelphia fan base, I’ve said this before, they’re very relentless, very passionate. I mean, I’m an Eagles fan, I would know,” said Brunson, who set the franchise playoff record with 47 points. “But seeing the Knicks, hearing the Knicks here is pretty cool. It’s awesome.
“It means that they’re for real. They’re for real. No matter where we are, they’re gonna be there. So I’m appreciative and a lot of situations wouldn’t be done without them.”
James Dolan, enjoying one of his greatest stretches as team owner of both the Knicks and Rangers, also showed up in Philly.
After the Knicks won, their fans gathered outside and started “F–k Embiid” chants while stomping on Sixers merchandise.
Mitchell Robinson warmed up pregame but was ruled out and again left Wells Fargo Center in a walking boot.
The center sprained his left ankle in Game 3 — the same ankle that underwent surgery in December — and he was listed as “questionable” before missing Game 4.
“He had to go through the warm-up and then make a decision as to what they [the doctors] felt he could go or not. And he wasn’t quite there,” Tom Thibodeau said. “So just keep getting your treatment. Get a look at it [Monday]. Then we go from there.”
With Robinson out and starter Isaiah Hartenstein in foul trouble, Precious Achuiwa closed the game at center and was a team-high plus-11 in 20 minutes with four blocks.
Bojan Bogdanovic was the latest addition to the injury report with a game-ending “foot contusion” suffered just one minute into his appearance in Sunday’s game.
He was chasing after a loose ball alongside Nic Batum, who dove and landed on Bogdanovic’s leg/foot. Bogdanovic then limped to the locker room and never returned.
The veteran recently had an MRI on his sprained wrist that uncovered ligament damage, according to Hoopshype.
He vowed to play through that injury but surgery is “a potential option” in the summer, the report said.
