Joel Embiid discusses pro-Knicks crowd at 76ers' home court: 'Kind of pisses me off'
The Knicks' 97-92 Game 4 win over the 76ers at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia drew an announced attendance of 21,048.
New York fans were audibly among that figure Sunday, and it did not sit well with franchise player Joel Embiid.
"Disappointing," said Embiid, a seven-time All-Star and the 2023 NBA MVP. "I love our fans. Think it's unfortunate. And I'm not calling them out, but it is disappointing. Obviously, you've got a lot of Knicks fans and they're down the road. Never seen it, and I've been here for 10 years. Kind of pisses me off, especially because Philly is considered a sports town. So they've always shown up, and I don't think that should happen. It's not OK."
After Thursday's 125-114 Game 3 win, the 76ers' second home opportunity of the first-round series saw them squander a 10-point lead midway through the third quarter.
The Knicks, between Jalen Brunson's franchise-playoff-record 47 points and fourth-quarter defense that limited Embiid to one point in the final period's 12 minutes, traveled back up the New Jersey Turnpike with a 3-1 lead.
"Don't put much stock in that," said 76ers head coach Nick Nurse. "I think we can win here, win there and win anywhere. We've just got to play better."
Following two games in not-so-hostile territory, the Knicks return to MSG for Tuesday's Game 5 with a chance to advance.
"One at a time," Embiid said. "We know we're good enough. Tonight we didn't make shots, so we've just got to keep trusting ourselves. The pace was not good in the fourth quarter, so we've got to play faster and, like I said, keep trusting each other and go out and play. I mean, we've got no pressure. We're the seventh seed, down 3-1. Lot of guys are hurt. I don't know why we would feel the pressure.
"So we should just go out and play our best basketball, and one at a time -- win one, come back home, win another one and then Game 7 over there. So, yeah, I'm looking forward to it. No pressure."
