The spotlight was on Joel Embiid from the opening tip.
The first “f–k Embiid” chant came immediately afterward.
Several more followed.
The sellout crowd at Madison Square Garden took every opportunity to scream at the Sixers’ 7-footer, complaining when he flopped or baited a defender into a ticky-tack foul, erupting after every shot that went off-target.
Even as the Knicks put away Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, the crowd would not relent, letting Embiid know this was just the beginning.
But unlike the intense first-round matchup two years ago — when the reigning MVP delivered a series of timely buckets, cheap shots and verbal jabs — the Knicks now may have the most impactful big man in the series.
While Embiid failed to make much of an impact in the series opener — scoring 14 points while shooting 3-for-11 from the field — Karl-Anthony Towns continued his incredible all-around postseason, finishing with 17 points (7-for-11 shooting from the field, including 3-for-5 on 3-pointers), six rebounds, six assists and two blocks in just 20 minutes.
In the first-round win over the Hawks, coach Mike Brown helped swing the series when he put the ball in Towns’ hands, asking the 7-footer to facilitate the offense.
He responded with his first pair of playoff triple-doubles, finishing the six-game series averaging 18.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.7 steals while shooting nearly 57 percent from the field and over 44 percent on 3-pointers.
“I just want to answer the call,” Towns said after the Game 6 win in Atlanta. “You ask for the opportunities and they’ve obliged, and I’ve gotta repay that trust and that opportunity. I just want to do whatever — I always talk to y’all about the impact of winning. I got more opportunities to do that and I want to make sure I’m [taking] advantage of the opportunities [I’m] given. And I’m proud that I’ve been able to help us win.”
Towns, a six-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA selection, has never shot so little and made as much of an impact, putting the Knicks three wins from the conference finals after helping the team end its 25-year drought last year.
This season, Towns averaged a career-low 13.8 field goal attempts.
Against Atlanta, he averaged 9.7. Monday, he took only one shot in the first quarter — hitting a 3-pointer — before falling into his bad habit of picking up unnecessary fouls.
After stripping Embiid on back-to-back possessions early, Towns headed to the bench with two fouls in barely more than five minutes of play.
When Towns returned in the second quarter, he immediately made noise, attacking Andre Drummond to score inside.
He followed with a beautiful backdoor pass to Jose Alvarado.
By halftime, Towns had 10 points, five assists, four rebounds and one block.
Before the third quarter was done, Towns left the floor for the final time, with the Knicks leading by 27.
“I gotta continue to impact winning and do whatever this team needs me to do or sacrifice to get us a win,” Towns said recently. “This is the time. We’ve gotta capitalize on this opportunity.”
