There was considerable hype surrounding the Los Angeles Clippers entering their Monday night contest against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, as James Harden was set to make his LA debut following a drawn-out trade saga with the Philadelphia 76ers. However, the Clippers fell flat on their faces with a lackluster effort that would make fans avert their eyes.

All night long, the Clippers failed to get into any sort of offensive rhythm, with Paul George struggling from the field and Harden appearing too passive on the offensive end. But the game was still close for three quarters, with the Clippers defense hanging tough against an inefficient Knicks offense.

However, the floodgates opened in the fourth quarter, with the Clippers unable to come up with any answers on how not to drown.

The Knicks — thanks to a flurry of forced turnovers, offensive rebounds, and made threes — ran out to a huge lead in the fourth quarter and did not look back, taking home a huge 111-97 win to spoil James Harden's Clippers debut. And the Knicks did all that even with Jalen Brunson going just 2-12 from the floor, thanks in large part to huge games from RJ Barrett, Donte DiVincenzo, and an inspired effort from the rest of the Knicks' bench mob.

Knicks fans then exploded in justified jubilee as they found their team back in the win column in resounding fashion.

“Clippers lost to the Villanova Knicks is crazy lmao 😂 #knicksvsclippers,” one fan wrote. Wrote another, “The Knicks really beat the Clippers 😳 we back outside #NewYorkForever.”

Sixers fans also piled on the Clippers' misery, as they poked fun at the team for losing even after prying away 10-time All-Star James Harden from the City of Brotherly Love.

“clippers worse with harden and sixers look the best they ever have…” one fan expressed.

Of course, it's important to note that the Sixers faced the putrid Washington Wizards on Monday, which definitely skews fan perception in their favor. Nevertheless, it's definitely fulfilling for Philly fans to witness Harden's life as a member of the Clippers organization start out in the worst way possible. It is still early days, however, and knowing how much talent the Clippers have, they should figure it out sooner than later.