In a moment of raw frustration, Joel Embiid may have voiced what many Philadelphia fans have secretly feared: "Maybe Philadelphia is cursed." The superstar center's lament came after the 76ers were unceremoniously swept out of the playoffs by the New York Knicks, falling 144-114 in Game 4. It marks the sixth consecutive year the Sixers have exited in the second round—an NBA record that no team wants to own.

For Embiid, the loss carries even heavier weight. Despite being a former MVP, he remains the only player with that honor to never reach a conference finals. "I feel like I still played as hard as I could," Embiid told reporters. "I fought hard, I tried to give us a better chance to win. Didn't happen, so I look at myself and I gotta be better." He then added with a mix of humor and pain: "Maybe I've got to go to church more so I don't have those type of things [injuries] right before the playoffs. I don't know, maybe I'm cursed. I don't know. Maybe Philadelphia's cursed, I don't know. That's a joke, but just gotta keep doing the right things over and over and hope that at some point it changes."

The Knicks, meanwhile, are playing some of the best basketball in franchise history. They've now won seven straight playoff games and are an astonishing +194 points through 10 games. On Sunday, they tied an NBA playoff record by drilling 18 three-pointers in the first half alone, finishing with 25 from deep. The pro-Knicks crowd at Madison Square Garden reveled in the moment, taunting Embiid with photos of him getting posterized by Mitchell Robinson in Game 3.

Former Villanova star Josh Hart, now a key Knicks contributor, couldn't resist a jab at the Philly faithful. "I used to think Philly was a sports town," Hart said. "I don't know if it is anymore."

Embiid's playoff run this year was already a testament to his grit. He returned from emergency surgery to remove his appendix on April 9, then helped lead the Sixers to an upset of the No. 2 Boston Celtics after trailing 3-1 in that series. He also played this season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee a year ago. But the injuries and heartbreaks keep piling up.

Interestingly, Embiid isn't alone in this second-round misery. His former teammate James Harden has also lost in the second round for five straight years—and could tie Embiid's streak if his Cleveland Cavaliers don't come back against the Detroit Pistons, who currently lead that series 2-1. For now, Philadelphia's curse—joke or not—feels all too real.