Knicks' Josh Hart mocks Joel Embiid saying Sixers should be leading series

Knicks’ Josh Hart mocks Joel Embiid saying Sixers should be leading series

Tensions are high between the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers in their first-round playoff series.

The Knicks lead the Sixers 2-0, coming away with two narrow victories, the latter in miraculous fashion. The Knicks outscored the Sixers 8-0 in the final 30 seconds of Game 2 to snatch away what looked like a sure win for Philadelphia.

After Game 2, Joel Embiid declared that the Sixers should be leading the series 2-0 and that the Sixers will win the series because they’re the better team.

Knicks swingman Josh Hart had a blunt, humorous response on Thursday when he was asked about Embiid’s comments.

“I don’t care,” Hart said, via Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News. “They’re not. We’re up 2-0. When the NBA starts basing the series on what we think, then I’ll care a little bit more.”

Of course, Game 2 ended with some controversy, with the 76ers filing a grievance over the officiating over the first two games of the series. Nick Nurse and Embiid both criticized the referees for not calling fouls or timeouts. They may have been right to do so — the NBA’s Last Two Minute Report determined that the Knicks should have been called for fouls on the game-changing steal and that the Sixers should have been granted a timeout as they tried to inbound the ball.

The Knicks have brushed off those concerns, too. The Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau on Wednesday was asked about the Last Two Minute Report and said he’s more concerned with “the 46-minute report.”

All of this back-and-forth — to say nothing of how tight the series has been on the court — sets up a potentially contentious Game 3 in Philadelphia on Thursday.