The Xfinity Mobile Arena was buzzing. That sight was stunning, and even haunting for the home team. The 76ers were at the end of a sweep, getting absolutely embarrassed in Game 4. It started from the first quarter, as the New York Knicks nailed a record 11 threes. After each make, the cheers from the crowd grew louder.

In hindsight, this was the fourth straight home game of the series for the Knicks. Their fans, going through the extremes of bypassing the 76ers’ ticket restrictions, took over the city. The brooms were out before the fourth quarter, and ‘Knicks in 4’ chants are probably still ringing in the ears of the 76ers’ players.

They were not the only ones to suffer. See, some of the 76ers fans did listen to Joel Embiid. All they saw was a mob of Knicks jerseys prepared to raid their home arena. A Philadelphia reporter even said, “You would think that I’m in New York right now,” as a wave of Knicks fans collected behind her.

This was where they made it official. The Knicks had completed the sweep, vanquishing the 76ers just as they did the Atlanta Hawks. All that was needed was a crowning. That was done when a Knicks fan put his jersey right up to the camera. The news segment didn’t happen. All people saw was an army of Knicks celebrating their team making back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals.

And they did it in such dominant fashion.

The historic Game 4 for the Knicks

The crowd played a role in every one of the games of this series. In Game 3, the Knicks needed some galvanising after going down by 12 early. The team came back and flipped the script. Tonight, they left nothing to chance. The Knicks shot the ball as if no matter what they did, it would go in.

Jalen Brunson was shooting the ball just seconds into their possession. Miles McBride, a temporary starter, hit his first four triples to start the game. All in all, the Knicks made a record-tying 18 first-half threes. They finished the game with 25, a little more than half of their field goals made from beyond the arc.

“If we expect to be who we’re capable of being, we’ll find a way to stay consistent with what we’re doing, whether it’s the energy level, the effort level, or embracing-slash-focusing on the details that we have to be able to understand in order to get a win,” said head coach Mike Brown about the Knicks’ recent playoff win streak.

The team is in the best possible position. They have to wait for a tightly contested Pistons-Cavaliers series to reach its conclusion to know their opponents for the next round. Until then, thanks to the unbelievable display of passion from their fans, the players can rest and recover before the conference finals. Unlike last season, this year, even the fans’ delusions don’t actually seem unrealistic.