This is where it becomes a series.
The Knicks took a 2-0 series lead in their first-round playoff matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers with Monday’s thrilling 104-101 victory at Madison Square Garden.
The series now swings to Philly’s Wells Fargo Center for Games 3 and 4, where a Sixers team with strong belief it can even things at two apiece will play in front of some of the rowdiest fans in all of sports.
“Great place to play. Their fans are — they make it a hostile environment, and that’s what you want on the road,” said Knicks forward Josh Hart, who played in front of said Philly fans in college at Villanova. “So we look forward it. We know they’re gonna bring their best shot, so we’ve gotta try to punch first.”
The Sixers went 25-16 in home games this season and 22-19 on the road.
They also went 19-5 at home in games featuring Joel Embiid, who missed more than half the season due to meniscus surgery.
Embiid, the league’s reigning MVP, averaged 34.7 points, 11 rebounds and 5.6 assists during the regular season and 31.5 points and nine rebounds in two games at The Garden.
“It’s road mentality. You start with your defense, rebounding and taking care of the ball,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said after Knicks practice on Wednesday. “That puts you in position to win. Just concentrate on what goes into winning. You don’t get lost in emotion. We know that they’ve got fans there. We’ll have fans there as well.”
The Knicks, however, went 3-1 in their season series against the 76ers and won both of their games played in Philadelphia. Embiid missed three of the four games of the series. In his lone appearance, the Knicks won by 36 points.
“It’s not a road game unless it’s a hostile environment, and Philly brings that, so that’s something as competitors that you love,” said Hart. “Obviously Knick fans travel great, I’m sure there’s gonna be Knick fans there, but when you’re on the road, it helps you really focus on what you have on the court and in the locker room.
The Knicks went 23-18 on the road during the regular season. This is the first Knicks-Sixers playoff series since 1989, when New York won in a 3-0 sweep.
“It takes us being a team, focusing on the task at hand. During adverse situations, not fray off as individuals but come together collectively,” Hart continued. “I think that’s what you have to do on the road to be successful. That’s something that we’ve done before: We went into tough places — Milwaukee, Boston, we’ve been to Philly and won, L.A, the Lakers. So we’ve been in tough environments where we’ve won. And we’ve just got to continue to do that and continue to build.”
Thibodeau said success on the road boils down to concentration, using good judgment and giving maximum effort.
“Those are the things that you need to win. So be disciplined,” he said. “We know our defense has been good, our rebounding’s been good, and taking care of the ball’s been good.”
Knicks star Jalen Brunson, who is struggling from the field shooting just 16-of-55 (29.1 percent) from the field and 2-of-12 (16.7 percent) from three-point range in the series, says he’s ready for the challenge.
“It’s fun. It’s a test to see where you are a team,” Brunson said on Wednesday. “In those environments, you have no choice but to stick together, and so we know that it’s gonna be loud. It’s gonna be pretty cool to see their fan base get behind their team. So just another opportunity for us.”
Game 1 tips on Thursday at 7:30 p.m., and Game 4 is a matinee tipoff on Sunday at 1 p.m.
