Knicks get the job done vs. Joel Embiid, 76ers and then celebrate in ‘hostile’ Philly

PHILADELPHIA — You know the song without hearing the words.

You can feel it in the vibrations reverberating off of the cement beneath your feet outside the Wells Fargo Center visitor’s locker room.

The distinct bass pattern in the introduction of notable Chicago rapper Chief Keef’s hit song “Love Sosa” is blasting from behind the door separating some 25 people from a Knicks team fresh off of its incredible first-round feat.

There’s a party inside the 76ers’ home arena — and the team’s own fans, players and executives aren’t invited.

This is not a song anyone plays in defeat.

It’s a battle cry. A victory lap. The trumpet of triumph in the form of Chicago drill rap.

The nerve of this Knicks team to march into hostile territory — in typical Chief Keef fashion — and hit dagger after dagger to end the 76ers’ season with a 118-115 series-clinching victory in Game 6 late Thursday night.

“Was it hostile?” head coach Tom Thibodeau said with a smile after the victory. “Philly’s a great sports town.”

Only two days prior, a smile couldn’t be found on the faces of any players wearing orange and blue at Madison Square Garden.

The Knicks had a chance to handle business and end the 76ers’ season in Game 5, but Sixers star Tyrese Maxey poured in 46 points, scored Philly’s final seven points to force overtime, then hit the game-winning shot in the extra period.

It was the 76ers, after avoiding elimination, who blasted music from The Garden’s visitor’s locker room after handing the Knicks a debilitating loss on Tuesday.

On Thursday, the Knicks got their lick back.

On Thursday, the Knicks made it right.

“In the locker room after the [loss] it was quiet,” said Knicks star Jalen Brunson. “So we all knew that we missed an opportunity.”

It’s hard to think of a better tune-up series for these Knicks, who are headed to the second round of the playoffs for the second season in a row. And to do it without All-Star forward Julius Randle, whose season ended in late January because of a dislocated right shoulder, makes the Knicks’ playoff success even more incomprehensible.

The 76ers are better than both their record and seeding would indicate: They entered the playoffs as the No. 7 seed after defeating the Miami Heat in the East’s Play-In Tournament, but they were only in that predicament because their MVP center Joel Embiid missed more than half the season after meniscus surgery.

Embiid scored 39 points in Game 6. He averaged 33 points, 10.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists against the Knicks in the first round. He even scored 50 in Game 3 on only 19 shots.

With Embiid at a functional level of health, and Maxey erupting as a legitimate All-Star guard, the Sixers were the worst draw of any potential Knicks first-round matchup.

They were a top-four seed disguised as an underdog.

“They’re a really good team. They have really good players and they’re really well coached,” said Donte DiVincenzo. “They’re not a — what are they, seven seed? — they’re not a normal seven seed. Going into the first round we knew it was going to be an uphill battle.

“But the thing about this group, no matter what, the adversity, we’ve had it all year long. Our front court has been out for almost half the year. Everybody says we’re too small. You out-work, you stay together, and this is what happens.”

The Knicks didn’t care. While other teams punted late-season games to secure more advantageous playoff matchups, the Knicks did what they did best — they focused on winning.

And now it’s on to Indiana. On to a Pacers team that defeated the Milwaukee Bucks, 4-2, in the first round.

The Bucks did not have two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo or perennial All-Star guard Damian Lillard in the first round, which means the Pacers capitalized on a wounded opponent to punch their ticket to Round 2.

The Pacers pose their own challenges.

Like the 76ers, they are well-coached. Like the 76ers, they have one-two punch in Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam.

Yet unlike the team the Knicks just eliminated, the Pacers play fast and launch a ton of threes. They scored 120 or more points in each of their four victories against the Bucks in the first round.

“They’re a great team. We’re all going to watch the film,” said OG Anunoby. “We’ve been watching the series. They’re a great team for sure.”

There’s time for film. Time for preparation. Time to lock in for the next opponent.

There’s also time to celebrate. After disposing of their first playoff opponent on their own home floor, the Knicks earned a night in paradise.

They earned the right to blast a celebratory song on an opponent’s stomping grounds, the unmistakable sounds of which blared throughout corridors as the locker room door opened just moments after the Knicks clinched their first playoff series victory of the season.

“No matter what the situation is, we’re going to attack it,” said Brunson. “I just think that no matter who’s in front of us or whatever we’re going to go out there, play our style of basketball. We’re going to grind. We’re going to respect our opponent. We’re going to know it’s always going to be a difficult situation no matter who you’re playing in this league.”