Sixers fans lament another Philly sports team being swept from the postseason

A day after the Flyer faithful watched the Flyers get swept off the ice at Xfinity Mobile Arena, Sixers fans watched their team suffer the same fate against the Knicks.

A 144-114 Knicks win eliminated the Sixers from the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Sunday.

After showing up in droves for Game 3 in spite of the Sixers’ efforts to curtail a takeover, Knicks fans showed up in full voice again for Game 4.

The concourses teemed with orange and blue before the game and “Let’s go Knicks” chants rang through Xfinity Mobile Arena well before tipoff.

Knicks fans jeered as Matt Cord announced the Sixers’ starting lineup for the final time. Cord, who has served as the Sixers’ public address announcer for 28 years, announced in April that he would retire at the end of the season.

Xfinity Mobile Arena was not full on Sunday. Early in the second quarter, a number of empty seats with unclaimed rally towels could be seen from the arena’s upper levels.

Knicks fans only got louder as their squad jumped out to an early lead. The Knicks held a 19-point lead at the end of the first quarter and a 24-point lead at halftime.

Jalen Brunson hit a three-pointer to put the Knicks up by 29 in the third quarter, prompting the thinning crowd to break out another “Let’s go Knicks” chant.

The first of multiple “Knicks in 4″ chants broke out later in the third quarter with the Knicks leading by 30 points.

Knicks fans had plenty of opportunities to call out “Deuce,” Miles McBride’s nickname, on Sunday. McBride had 25 points and was 7 of 9 from three-point range in the Knicks’ win. Knicks fans cheered his name as he converted on a four-point play to put the Knicks up 40 before the end of the third.

The lopsided nature of Sunday’s loss made for less of a scene after the game. Knicks fans swarmed the Broad Street exit after New York’s 14-point win in Game 3.

Knicks fans still congregated in front of ABC6’s news camera near the Broad Street exit, chanting “Knicks in 4″ and “[Expletive] Embiid.”

Knicks fans got what they made the trip to see, but Sixers fans who showed up hoping the team could send the series back to New York were disappointed.

Fishtown resident Rob Mayer acknowledged that the series was likely over before Game 4 tipped off, but he placed the blame for the Sixers’ failings on the organization rather than the players.

“They shouldn’t have traded [Jared] McCain,” Mayer said. “They’ve made a lot of terrible decisions. Josh Harris should sell the team.”

Mayer, 39, showed up to Sunday’s Game 4 in a green and yellow Mummers suit that he bought as a Halloween costume. He said he wears it when he goes to big games, including Friday’s Game 3 of Sixers-Knicks and Game 4 of Flyers-Hurricanes.

Mayer had already confronted the possibility of witnessing a sweep on back-to-back days by the time he entered Xfinity Mobile Arena on Sunday.

“What choice do I have?” Mayer said. “I paid for the tickets.”

Fran Johnson was one of many mothers who celebrated Mother’s Day at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Sunday. She attended Game 4 with her son, Kief Wellington, who has Sixers season tickets.

“My son asked me to come out for Mother’s Day, and I said, ‘Where are we going?’” Johnson said. “And here we are, right here at the Sixers game. That’s the best Mother’s Day I could have.”

The Sixers celebrated the holiday by having Tyrese Maxey’s mother, Andre Drummond’s mother and assistant coach Rico Hines’ mother ring the bell before tipoff. They were booed by Knicks fans.

The Sixers added another season to their Eastern Conference Finals drought after being swept on Sunday. The team has not played in the Eastern Conference Finals since the 2000-01 season, when it beat the Milwaukee Bucks to advance to the NBA Finals.

Wellington believes the team’s core of Joel Embiid, Paul George, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe is good enough to win a title, but that the group needs some tinkering around the edges.

“The core essence of what we need to win a title is here,” Wellington said. “I think that, just like any other team, we need to make some slight tweaks, here and there, to push them over the edge.”

Mayer lamented the talent the Sixers’ front office has sent elsewhere over the years, including Jared McCain and Knicks forward Mikal Bridges, who the Sixers traded on draft night in 2018.

“We have no bench,” Mayer said. “Between our sixth and seventh man, they barely make up a sixth man. Meanwhile, the Knicks just are deep as hell. How did they put together a team like that, in significantly less time? With the assets we had, so many mistakes, letting Mikal Bridges go. He should be on our team. The list is endless.”

The Sixers’ next chance to improve their roster will be at the NBA Draft, which will be held on June 23 and June 24. The Sixers currently hold the 17th overall pick.