At the very height of the 76ers’ playoffs after defeating the Boston Celtics in Game 7, Joel Embiid directly pleaded with fans. ‘Don’t sell your tickets,’ he told 76ers fans. “I just have a message for our fans. Last time we played the Knicks, it felt like [Philadelphia] was Madison Square Garden East. We’re going to need the support. Don’t sell your tickets. This is bigger than you. We need you guys.” Embiid wanted them to be a part of The Process that had taken shape. He added that if fans needed money, he personally had them covered. But New York was always ruthless.

The 76ers organization implemented geographic ticket-sale restrictions, limiting initial sales to the Philadelphia area, and donated hundreds of tickets to local groups and community organizations for Games 3 and 4 to bolster home support. The arena didn’t sell to anyone listed outside Philadelphia. Yet, despite these measures and Embiid’s public call referencing the 2024 playoffs — when Knicks fans had similarly infiltrated the Wells Fargo Center and turned it into “Madison Square Garden East,” contributing to a tough series loss — the Xfinity Mobile Arena failed Embiid. It was a band of Knicks fans that became the team’s sixth man on the road.

“I don’t know. I was focused on the game. I really wasn’t paying attention,” Embiid said, almost deflecting the question. In a way, Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers were betrayed. The lofty resale tickets tempted the local fans from abandoning their team when they needed the energy. Mikal Bridges admitted the Knicks fans’ strong presence. And they were there. Anywhere you looked, it was all Knicks and barely a trace of Philly fans.

There wasn’t anything much to pay attention to. It looked like the 76ers were playing a third straight game at MSG. Timothee Chalamet was courtside, cheering every sequence. Every chant was for the Knicks, who used the external support on the road to take a 3-0 lead in their series against the 76ers.

The Sixers actually had an early 12-point lead to start Game 3. Imagine the pop the team was expecting as they marched on to take a commanding lead. Instead, the audience was drawn to the arena to uplift the Knicks. They executed the mission successfully, without much of a contest from the home fans.

The void was felt. The 76ers lacked energy in the final quarter, scoring just 18 points. Joel Embiid had only 18, his second straight game under 20 points against the Knicks. With the home court advantage lost to passion, Philadelphia didn’t have a choice but to look internally.

76ers call for better basketball after Game 3 loss

Aside from losing the fan battle, the Philadelphia 76ers lost from a position of power. They allowed the Knicks to crawl back in the first quarter. By the end of the first half, the 76ers’ 12-point lead became an eight-point deficit. Kelly Oubre Jr. didn’t want to put any blame on the fans.

“Obviously, we need it. We love it, and we love our fans. But at the end of the day, we have to lock in on our task. We have to figure out our game plan, just have a tight huddle,” said the 76ers forward.

Oubre led all the 76ers in scoring, generating 22 points. He answered the call with the Knicks ruthlessly doubling Tyrese Maxey all game long. There wasn’t anything else to take away, though. Paul George, Maxey, and VJ Edgecombe combined for 43 points, as the Sixers converted just 28.1% of their looks from beyond the arc.

George pointed out this difference between the two teams.

“We got to tip our hat to JB. He’s making some big shots. He’s getting to his spots. But it’s been someone else that’s played big and stepped up – whether it’s Mikal, whether it’s OG, Karl, Josh – they’ve all had moments. Shamet off the bench tonight,” said PG13.

Jalen Brunson recorded his second 30+ point game of the series. He finished the game with 33 to lead all scorers, followed closely by Bridges’ 23. Even without OG Anunoby, the Knicks found contributors. Shamet’s 15 points and tenacious defense off the bench resulted in the highest net differential of any Knicks player in Game 3.

They had the crowd either way. But the Knicks showed guts to claim a 3-0 series lead and have one foot in the conference finals.