Over the past few years, the crowd has made it a hostile environment for the teams being hosted at the Madison Square Garden. A few years ago, Trae Young was the one to receive an extremely harsh reception. And this time around, Joel Embiid is the player for the supporters in New York to go after. However, unlike Young, Embiid doesn’t want to begin a rivalry with the fans at MSG. Instead, the Philadelphia 76ers big man even complimented the city and its people.
The New York Knicks won Game 4 after a Jalen Brunon masterclass. Hence, Game 5 was a do-or-die situation for Joel Embiid and co. With Tom Thibodeau’s boys enjoying a six-point lead with 28 seconds remaining in the regulation, fans must’ve believed that the first-round series was over. However, Tyrese Maxey put the team on his back led the Philly side by scoring 7 straight points, and forced overtime. Eventually, the Sixers clinched a 112-106 victory, per NBA.com.
Following the action-packed thriller, JoJo was asked multiple questions, and the topic of the hostile atmosphere at Madison Square Garden was brought up. Quite surprisingly, the 2023 MVP didn’t seem to have any complaints about the supporters’ unruly behavior. He actually admitted to usually thriving on such energy even though he was only able to record an inefficient 19-point triple-double tonight, per NBA.com.
“It’s not hostile. I love New York. New York is my favorite city in the world. I have a place here for the past five years. I just love New York… If I’ve got to be the punching bag and you hear a lot of ‘F Embiid,’ that’s ok. I love it,” Embiid claimed.
Joel Embiid was disrespected on numerous occasions over the course of the contest. Apart from the constant boos coming his way whenever he had the ball in his hands or during his trips to the free throw line, a majority of the 19,000+ crowd erupted with “f*** Embiid” chants.
The crowd’s hate towards Embiid, especially after Game 4 is understandable. After already kicking Mithcell Robinson and Isiah Hartenstein in the groin during Game 3, Embiid elbowed Jalen Brunson and dangerously stepped on Josh Hart. Whether these actions were deliberate or not, no one but the Sixers big man knows.
