The New York Knicks are hosting the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference Semi-Finals matchup. In the previous round, we saw the Knicks on the ropes against the Atlanta Hawks, down 2-1. They would go on to dominate the next three games, winning by 16, 20, and 51.
As for Philly, they found themselves in a historic 3-1 series hole against the Boston Celtics. The 76ers stormed back and won Game 7 on the road in one of the toughest environments in the NBA. With both teams battle-tested, let’s dive into this series!
76ers’ Keys to Victory
The 76ers are coming off one of the most impressive series comebacks, considering their opponent. The Celtics have been a thorn in their side for the entirety of the “Trust the Process” era of the team. Joel Embiid has been excellent this postseason, despite missing the first three games. Averaging 28 ppg, 9 rpg, and 7 apg, he’s starting to look like his dominant self when he won the MVP. His co-stars have been great as well.
What was most impressive in the last round was their defense. Boston, which we know can run up the score with the best of them, was held to 100 or fewer in all four of the 76ers’ wins. The Knicks can be a heliocentric offense at times. Now that might be great throughout the regular season and the first round of the playoffs, but not against Philly. With Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Paul George, VJ Edgecombe, and Kelly Oubre on the court, that is a lot of length and excellent defenders that can give New York issues.
On the offensive end, they’ve done an excellent job of avoiding turnovers. That is one of the reasons they had so much success against Boston. You turn the ball over, and you are susceptible to giving up easy baskets and not forcing the opposition to go at your exceptional half-court defense.
This should be a series where Embiid can dominate the game by getting the Knicks’ second-best player in foul trouble. I can see two games where KAT will be limited in the first half due to picking up two quick fouls. That puts more on Jalen Brunson’s plate, which can tire him out and make him worse of a defender than he already is. I can see the 76ers running a lot of two-man game between whoever JB is guarding and Maxey in high pick-and-roll action.
Knicks’ Pillars for Success
The Knicks dominated the Hawks last series once they got away from “The Jalen Brunson Show.” The second Karl-Anthony Towns began to put his imprint on the offensive end, we saw a different New York team. That is going to be twice as important in this series. If his shot isn’t falling, what other ways is KAT going to impact the game? Continue to crash the glass, like he was going all season, and play the best defense you can without picking up nonsense fouls.
Outside of the two stars, Josh Hart’s three-point shooting will be the key against Philly. They’re probably going to have Embiid guarding him, since he’s one of the only non-shooters on the court. Hart was an excellent shooter in the regular season (41.3%), but on a low volume. Against the Hawks, he was 5/23 (21.7%) from downtown. If he can raise that to 33-35%, that changes how the 76ers will guard the Knicks.
Another path for the Knicks to win this series is through their bench. In these playoffs, New York ranks 7th with 31.2 bench points per game, while Philly ranks 15th, out of 16 qualified teams, with just 17.1 bench points per game. Maxey led the NBA with 38 minutes per game. In the minutes where he or Embiid is off the court, they must dominate those minutes. Not just win the margins, dominate.
Who Advances?
This is going to be a fun series. You’ve got two red-hot teams that are looking to punch their tickets to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Knicks were just there last season, while the 76ers haven’t gone that far in the postseason since the 2000-2001 season. The Eastern Conference playoffs have been one for the ages
The New York Knicks will win this series in seven games. I believe this series will be nip and tuck throughout, with monster performances from Brunson, Embiid, and Maxey. What puts the Knicks over the edge for me is their experience. All their players were just in this position last season and are salivating at the chance to get back to the NBA Finals.
Final Thoughts
The Eastern Conference playoffs have been one for the ages, with three of the four series going seven games, and the other going six. Game 1 is tonight at 8 PM EST on NBC. Who do you think advances and makes the conference finals?
As always, thank you so much for checking out my thoughts and preview of the New York Knicks taking on the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals! Be sure to check out our other amazing content here at New Leaf News! We hope you’re enjoying your day and look forward to seeing you again soon.
