I predicted the Knicks would sweep even though the Sixers came into the first-round series on an eight-game win streak. The series ended in six, and a late Philly rally almost extended the series to seven. What’s up, Knicks?
You would have thought that an NBA championship contender (NYK) would make quick work of the Sixers, just as other contenders did to their respective opponents in the NBA first round. OKC swept the Pelicans, the Celtics extinguished the Heat, the Nuggets dispatched the aging Lakers, and the up-and-coming Timberwolves swept the underachieving Suns.
But this series followed a different script. New York had dropped two of the previous five games to the Sixers (one at home) before coming from behind multiple times Thursday night–and then breaking a 111-tie–to eke by the Sixers 118-115. All-everything Jalen Brunson led the team with 41 points and 12 assists, while Donte DiVincenzo had 23 points and Josh Hart contributed 16. The Villanova alumni accounted for nearly 70% of NYK’s points on the night.
So, the big question is obvious: Are the Knicks really title contenders? It’s hard to make the case when they struggled to beat the 76ers. Indeed, if 76er role players Buddy Hield, Tobias Harris, Kelly Oubre Jr., Kyle Lowry, and Paul Reed had played better, Philadelphia would be heading back to New York for Game 7.
Indeed, Game 6 could have gone the way of Game 5. Mitchell Robinson inexplicably fouled Tyrese Maxey on the three-point line with 28.6 seconds to go and the Knicks clinging to a 96-90 lead after Miles McBride’s jumper. Maxey hit the three and finished a four-point play at the line. The 76ers then fouled Hart to slow the clock, and he made one of two throws in what turned out to be the game-changer. That miss set up a tie possibility, and Maxey hit a 3 to knot the score at 97. Brunson could have won it in regular time, but Nicolas Batum blocked his jump shot to send the game into overtime. From there, the 76ers outscored the Knicks 15-9 in overtime for a 112-106 victory.
But Philly couldn’t stretch the series to seven games, and now the Knicks advance to the second round. The Indiana Pacers (47-35) are on tap with the series opener scheduled for Monday night at the Garden (NYK -6.5). New York will go up against a squad void of headliners but with plenty of contributors. Nine players finished the regular season with a double-digit point-per-game average, led by Pascal Siakam (21.7) and Tyrese Haliburton (20). Obi Toppin (10.3 points, 3.9 rebounds) adds strength off the bench.
It’s only the second time in nearly a quarter-century that the Knicks have made it to the conference semi-finals in consecutive years. Still, the two-seed Knicks have a lot to prove, especially with the one-seed Celtics looming on the horizon.
