April 30, 2024
Vincent Carchietta/USA Today Sports
Joel Embiid battles down low with Knicks big man Mitchell Robinson.
As the Sixers attempt to save their season on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, expect a rowdy Knicks crowd. They already took over South Philadelphia over the weekend and there appears to be even more juice than usual with how the New York fan base views Joel Embiid.
Tuesday's edition of the tabloid New York Post featured a back page headline calling Embiid "the most hated man in NY."
The final back page: Joel Embiid has become The Most Hated Man in NY https://t.co/yaQ3FXO7cX pic.twitter.com/zUwQ3E8fuM
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) April 30, 2024
Harsh? Yes, but, hey, if anyone should be respecting outrageous sports hating, it's Philadelphia fans.
For the article itself from scribe Mike Vaccaro, the headline is "It took one week for Joel Embiid to become legendary Knicks villain." Again, I think that's fair. It took just a single play for Ronde Barber to be loathed for generations in Philly.
Vaccaro writes:
Because in the eight days connecting Game 2 and Game 5, which will take place Tuesday night, Embiid is no longer simply an excellent player who at any moment can strike fear into even the most stout-hearted teams like the Knicks and, by association, the people in the stands.
He’s no longer just an adversary.
Now he’s an enemy. [New York Post]
He makes comparison to 1990s Knicks villain Reggie Miller and highlights what he believes to be a series of dirty plays from Embiid, too.
It'd be a welcome turn of events in Philly if the Sixers and Embiid himself used this as bulletin board material. The vibes are in the gutter ahead of Game 5 after Sunday's home loss, but if the Sixers have taught us anything in this era, it's that what you expect to happen rarely does.
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