Knicks, fans feel right at home with sweep of 76ers in Philly - ESPN

PHILADELPHIA — There was exhausted jubilation at Xfinity Mobile Arena as the New York Knicks clinched their second straight berth in the Eastern Conference finals, but the noise didn't come from their bench.

Instead, it came from the droves of Knicks fans who took over the road arena yet again and watched their team sweep its way into the NBA's final four with a resounding, record-setting 144-114 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday.

For the Knicks players, it wasn't like the unbridled emotion that filled Madison Square Garden following their unexpected series win over the then-champion Boston Celtics last year — with fans later taking over midtown Manhattan, light posts and all.

This time around, securing the victory was light work.

It prompted Knicks forward Josh Hart to take a shot right at the heart of Philadelphia fans in the aftermath of the blowout win.

«I used to think Philly was a sports town. I don't know if it is anymore,» Hart said. «Everybody was begging for Philly [fans] not to sell their tickets. It never felt like a road game.»

Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey had to deal with his home arena turning into hostile territory.

«It absolutely sucks, it just sucks,» he said. «There's only one way to put a stop to it: We have to go out there and win these games. It felt louder in here for them than it did in the [Madison Square] Garden.»

The game and the series were essentially over by halftime as the Knicks made 18 3-pointers, which tied the NBA record for a half (regular season or playoffs), to lead by 24. They had once again taken the heart of the home team in the closeout game, just as they had against the Hawks in Atlanta 10 days ago.

If there was a team celebration, it was out of sight. But by all accounts,