Tyrese Maxey Laments Knicks Fans' Takeover of Philly Arena in Playoff Sweep

Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey voiced disappointment over the heavy presence of New York Knicks fans at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia during Games 3 and 4 of their second-round playoff series.

The Knicks swept their Atlantic Division rival with a 144-114 victory in Game 4 on Sunday night, sending the 76ers to an early exit. Knicks supporters filled the arena and even appeared on local news broadcasts celebrating the win.

Maxey addressed the fan situation in his postgame press conference. "It absolutely sucks, if I'm being honest. It just sucks," he said, via SNY TV. "That's really all I can say about it, man. It's hard. It's definitely difficult. It's only one way to put a stop to it and it's, we have to go out there and win these games."

He added that the 76ers performed better against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden during the regular season and playoffs, despite losses in Games 1 and 2. "Just being completely honest, we were better when we played them in the Garden this entire season," Maxey said. "I know we lost Game 2 and 1, but Game 2 was better. The regular season was better. I was telling them, it felt louder here for them than it did in the Garden."

Maxey said the team needed to win games to boost its own fans' energy. "We got to put a stop to it as a team," he said. "Winning these games, that's gonna make our fans louder than theirs or whatever. I don't know how to keep them out. I don't know the logistics of it, but it does suck. I can't even lie. It definitely does suck."

The loss marked the eighth time in the 76ers' last nine playoff appearances that they failed to reach the Eastern Conference Finals. Philadelphia has not advanced that far since reaching the 2001 NBA Finals.