Josh Hart and the New York Knicks walked into Philadelphia on Sunday night and turned a hostile playoff environment into something that barely resembled a road game.
After the Knicks demolished the 76ers 144-114 to complete a second-round sweep, Hart said even New York’s players were stunned by how thoroughly Knicks fans took over Xfinity Mobile Arena.
“I feel like we were even a little surprised at how many fans were in the arena,” Hart said. “Everybody was begging before Philly to not sell the tickets and all that stuff. So man, this really is a sports town.”
The Knicks backed that crowd support with one of the greatest shooting performances in NBA playoff history. New York tied the postseason record with 25 made 3-pointers and built an 81-57 halftime lead behind a barrage that completely broke Philadelphia’s defense.
Hart said the offensive rhythm came from trust and unselfish basketball.
“All those threes were going great,” Hart said. “Guys were sacrificing good shots for better shots. When you do that, the ball has energy and we have knockdown shooters. Playing a style like that is fun.”
Miles McBride led the early explosion while starting in place of injured forward OG Anunoby. McBride buried four straight 3-pointers in the first quarter and finished with 25 points on 7-for-9 shooting from deep.
Jalen Brunson added 22 points and six made 3s, while Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns each scored 17 points. Hart also grabbed nine rebounds and knocked down four triples himself.
The victory sent the Knicks to the Eastern Conference finals for the second straight season, but Hart explained that the mood inside the locker room was much calmer than it was a year ago after New York upset Boston to reach the same stage.
“No relief,” Hart said. “The jubilation is just another step in the process.”
Hart said last season’s emotional reaction came partly because of how the Knicks eliminated the Celtics, but this year’s group is approaching playoff success differently.
“Here we’re just approaching business as normal,” Hart said. “We got to make sure we’re locked in and focused on the next thing.”
That mentality reflects how much New York has evolved under first-year coach Mike Brown. After an inconsistent regular season that included major roster and system adjustments, the Knicks have now won seven straight playoff games dating back to the Atlanta series.
Hart described the growth as a long process rather than a sudden breakthrough.
“Yeah, I think it’s that tapping the rock mentality,” Hart said. “It didn’t happen overnight. It was a process of trial and error, figuring things out.”
The veteran wing pointed to chemistry and role clarity as major reasons for the Knicks’ surge.
“Figure out where everyone wants the ball, new system, new coaches, and stuff like that,” Hart said. “So I think we’re in a good little flow state right now, but we got to make sure we continue to get better and not be complacent.”
Hart also acknowledged how much energy the traveling Knicks crowd provided throughout the series. With Hart, Brunson and Mikal Bridges all having strong ties to the Philadelphia and Northeast area, the environment felt unusual for a postseason road game.
“JB, myself, Mikal — all have ties here so it never felt like a road game and they made sure to echo that,” Hart said.
The Knicks will now await the winner of the Cleveland Cavaliers-Detroit Pistons series, with Detroit currently leading 2-1. New York enters the conference finals playing its best basketball of the season, owning the largest point differential through two playoff rounds since the NBA expanded to a 16-team postseason field in 1984.
