Heartbreak in Philadelphia, Again — 76ers Fall to Knicks in Game 6 to Lose Series

Heartbreak.

It’s a common theme in Philadelphia sports.

Thursday night was no different. The 76ers season ended in a heartbreaking fashion with a Josh Hart three and a terrible shot attempt by Buddy Hield to finish the game. The Knicks pulled away late and held on for a 118-115 win.

This game could have gone either way, just as Games 1-5 were. New York was up 28-9 at one point in the 1st quarter and yet this Philadelphia team had enough heart to fight all the way back to grab a 3-point lead going into halftime. Buddy Hield went from shooting 1/7 from the field in 30 minutes in the first 5 games of the series to a shooting spectacle. His 6 field goals were all from beyond the arc and he ended with 20 points on the night. Joel Embiid was unstoppable, going for 39 points and 13 boards in the loss.

However, the key outliers are obvious. Tyrese Maxey‘s season-saving efforts in Game 5 will be remembered, but failing to execute in an elimination game at home is unacceptable. Maxey was only able to snag 17 points in 18 shot attempts. His defense was serviceable, but the offense needed more.

At least Maxey tried to compete, unlike Tobias Harris. The man who’s finishing up his 5 year, $180 million contract with the Sixers had a game that sums up his Philadelphia career pretty well: 0 points, 0/2 from the field, 29 minutes. A horrendous showing by a man who was expected to come to the City of Brotherly Love and wreak havoc on opposing teams with his lethal shooting. It’s safe to say that Harris was not a lethal shooter; not at all.

What does the 2024-25 season have in store for the Sixers? The team always gives us hope but shuts us down when the time comes to convert the hope into actual success. Maybe the Philadelphia-Faithful just needs to lower their expectations. Clearly, the 76ers don’t care enough to make the city proud, so there’s no reason to get our hopes up and say “2025 is our year!” like we have the past seven seasons.

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