The Knicks are playing some of their best basketball at the right time. After a decisive 140-89 win that closed out a first round series win against the Atlanta Hawks, New York is in the second round for the fourth consecutive year. The Knicks’ Semifinals opponent, the Philadelphia 76ers, just completed a stunning comeback from a 3-1 first round series deficit against the Boston Celtics on Saturday night.
With the series opener on Monday at Madison Square Garden, let’s dive into keys to the game.
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Containing Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid
The 76ers have one of the better tandems in the NBA in Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid. Both players are more formidable than any of the Atlanta Hawks players New York defended in the first round.
Maxey has continued to grow as an undeniable offensive talent. He was phenomenal in the first round, averaging 26.9 points on 47 percent from the field in seven games. In the closeout game, Maxey knifed into the lane a couple of times late to seal the series for Philadelphia.
Mikal Bridges will likely get the primary assignment on Philadelphia’s All-Star point guard at the beginning of the series. OG Anunoby and Josh Hart should be in the mix as well. Also, expect Miles McBride and Jose Alvarado to see time defending Maxey. Covering the 6-2 guard will be difficult, because of his blur-like quickness both in the halfcourt and in transition. He’s also a quality three-point shooter, knocking down 41.8 percent of his 55 long distance attempts against the Celtics.
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Though Embiid missed the start of the playoffs because he was recovering from an emergency appendectomy, he quickly found his groove mid-series. Embiid is a skilled big with a near automatic midrange jumper. One of Embiid’s best skills is his ability to get to the free-throw line.
In his four playoff games against Boston, Embiid attempted 37 freebies in 146 minutes. New York likely will rely on Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson to guard Embiid throughout the series. It will be imperative for both big men to avoid picking up silly fouls. The Knicks need both Towns and Robinson on the floor as much as possible for this series.
Both 76ers stars are hard to stop, but New York proved in the first round that its defense can hit another gear with improved defense from Towns and wings Anunoby, Hart, and Bridges caused chaos with a frantic style of defense.
Dominating the glass
One area that Philadelphia has struggled with over the past few years has been defensive rebounding. This season, the 76ers ranked just 26th in defensive rebound rate (67.8 percent) according to NBA Stats. Over the last three years, the 76ers have never ranked higher than 25th. It was a big factor in New York’s first round series win against Philadelphia two years ago.
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New York has been a good offensive rebounding team mainly because of Robinson, who is a force to reckon with on the offensive glass. The Knicks big man is second in offensive rebound rate during the playoffs among players that have been on the floor for at least 60 minutes according to NBA Stats.
However, the 76ers did a solid job in the first round, preventing the Boston Celtics from overwhelming them with extra possessions. The Celtics finished top-five in the category this season but Philadelphia held them to just 12th out of 16 teams during the first round.
Extra possessions will help the Knicks limit transition scoring opportunities, and could exhaust a 76ers team that should be weary after expending significant energy in the opening round.
Getting Brunson going early
One of the top priorities for the Knicks will be getting Jalen Brunson in a rhythm.
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The first round was a tale of two cities for Brunson, who averaged 26.3 points and 6.2 assists. After the Knicks offense bogged down in the first three games, there was a concerted effort to have Brunson play off the ball more, which worked tremendously. Brunson’s average seconds per touch dropped from 6.21 in the first three games to 5.38 from Game 4 to Game 6, according to NBA Stats.
The Knicks need to keep that focus for the second round to keep Philadelphia’s defense on its toes. The 76ers have a variety of defenders to throw at Brunson. Forward Kelly Oubre gave the Knicks point guard problems in the 2024 playoffs. Rookie VJ Edgecombe and former Knick Quentin Grimes also will surely have time defending Brunson.
A good start on Monday night from Brunson will help the Knicks build some early momentum.
