After a surprise first-round series win, Tyrese Maxey and the 76ers will try to get by Jalen Brunson and the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
The Sixers and New York Knicks will meet in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs in a series that could be as emotional and as hotly contested as the seven-game series win over the Boston Celtics. On Monday, the 76ers have to forget about that and face another rival. How fast the Sixers put that behind them and lock in on the Knicks could very well make a difference in who wins.
A Playoff Rematch
Philadelphia and New York saw each other two years ago in a first-round series that the Knicks eventually won in six games, with New York garnering the series-clinching win on Philly’s home floor. The 76ers haven’t forgotten about that. Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey haven’t forgotten about that.
Health and Key Matchups
The biggest question for Philadelphia: How healthy can the roster remain in an every-other-day setting? This is especially so after having no rest to reset following the Boston win. The Knicks will have to figure out how to deal with Embiid and Maxey. Whomever answers those questions the best should have an upper hand.
Knicks’ Defensive Prowess
The Knicks won because the defense that ranked sixth in the NBA from Jan. 1 until the end of the regular season showed up in the playoffs. It took some trial and error – primarily figuring out how to guard CJ McCollum – but New York turned off Atlanta’s water from Game 4 onward. Josh Hart took away Jalen Johnson’s half-court offense and gave trouble to McCollum when he started guarding him more. Karl-Anthony Towns was very good at defending the rim. OG Anunoby was causing havoc off the ball. The Hawks just didn’t get enough half-court offense once New York made McCollum uncomfortable.
Towns’ Impact on the Knicks
The Knicks won the series because of Towns, who looked more comfortable inside an offense that once pushed him to the side than he had all season. Especially starting in Game 4, the Knicks deployed him out of the high post. They turned him into their top facilitator. For the most part, everything ran through Towns. He dominated up top and down low. Defensively, he was far better than his reputation. By series end, Towns’ numbers may not have been much different from those during the regular season, but his involvement and impact on winning were through the roof.
76ers’ Performance
The 76ers had a clunky Game 4 after Joel Embiid returned from an appendectomy but reached another level in the final three games of the series with him. Tyrese Maxey was a problem for the Celtics. Paul George was great overall on both ends of the court. Still,
On Saturday, the Philadelphia 76ers came up with what is arguably the biggest win the franchise has had in 25 years.