{"id":219425,"date":"2026-05-04T16:39:20","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T16:39:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/219425\/"},"modified":"2026-05-04T16:39:20","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T16:39:20","slug":"ready-or-not-the-sixers-are-off-to-new-york","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/219425\/","title":{"rendered":"Ready or not, the Sixers are off to New York"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Sixers this past Saturday exorcised 40-odd years\u2019 worth of postseason demons when they defeated the Boston Celtics<\/a> in Game 7 at TD Garden, overcoming a 3-1 series deficit for the first time in franchise history.<\/p>\n

Now, get over it.<\/p>\n

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There\u2019s no rest for the weary as the Sixers will kick off their second-round series with the New York Knicks Monday night at Madison Square Garden. These teams met just two years ago, with the Knicks winning in six games. Prior to that, they hadn\u2019t played each other since 1989, with New York<\/a> sweeping the best-of-five series.<\/p>\n

With such a quick turnaround, consider this a preview for Game 1 and the series overall.<\/p>\n

It was a weird season series with the teams splitting four games and neither winning at home. There\u2019s some quirky context to add as well. The two games the Sixers won at MSG were with the Knicks playing on the second night of a back-to-back. One of New York\u2019s wins in Philly was without Joel Embiid<\/a> and Paul George<\/a>, with the Sixers coming back from a West Coast trip. Only putting it out there to say we didn\u2019t see the optimal versions of these teams face off this season.<\/p>\n

The Knicks went 53-29 in the regular season, good for the East\u2019s third seed. They dispatched of the Atlanta Hawks<\/a> in six games with a 140-89 drubbing in the elimination game. They had a top-10 offense (3rd) and defense (7th) during the regular season. They\u2019re a formidable opponent.<\/p>\n

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They\u2019re still led by Villanova legend Jalen Brunson. After another All-Star campaign, he had a strong series against the Hawks, averaging 26.3 points on 56.9% true shooting. The Sixers will have their hands full containing the lefty guard with his craftiness, footwork and ability to draw fouls.<\/p>\n

But the Sixers have the requisite bodies to throw at Brunson. Kelly Oubre Jr.<\/a> defended Brunson very well in that 2024 series, forcing New York to change the gameplan by Game 3. Rookie VJ Edgecome was also tough on Brunson during this regular season.<\/p>\n

It wouldn\u2019t be surprising to see Paul George matched up on Brunson from time to time after the veteran wing was an absolute defensive maven against Jaylen Brown<\/a> and Jayson Tatum<\/a> in the first round. Quentin Grimes<\/a>, who started his NBA career as Brunson\u2019s teammate, will surely see time on the star guard, too.<\/p>\n

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Karl-Anthony Towns<\/a> joined Brunson at this year\u2019s All-Star game and also had a strong series against Atlanta. The veteran big averaged 18.7 points, 11.3 rebounds (2.8 offensive) and 6.0 assists while knocking down 44.4% of his threes. Towns was the Knicks\u2019 primary starter at center this season, which presents an interesting matchup with Joel Embiid.<\/p>\n

Towns has never fared well against Embiid defensively, but his ability to shoot and hit the offensive glass could present challenges on the other end. Embiid was moving pretty damn well by the end of the Boston series, but we\u2019ll see how the big fella holds up as the minutes pile up. Of course, Embiid will also see Mitchell Robinson<\/a>, who\u2019s had some success against the former MVP. Robinson only averaged 13.8 minutes against the Hawks. Expect that number to jump. You could even see OG Anunoby<\/a> get the assignment \u2014 with designated help, of course.<\/p>\n

The chess match between Nick Nurse and Mike Brown should be interesting. Will Embiid force the Knicks to go to their two-big look more? Could that give the Sixers an advantage with Paul George playing the four and Towns needing to guard him or Oubre in space? How do the Sixers handle screens and switches with Brunson, who is outstanding at finding mismatches?<\/p>\n

All of this and we haven\u2019t really touched on New York\u2019s supporting cast. Anunoby had an outstanding first round, averaging 21.5 points while benefiting from all the space Brunson and Towns were creating. Josh Hart<\/a> and Mikal Bridges<\/a> didn\u2019t have their best series, but we know what that Wildcat duo is capable of in the postseason.<\/p>\n

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Deuce McBride is a player who\u2019s never missed a shot against the Sixers (not technically true, but it sure feels like it). You\u2019ll likely see all of McBride, trade deadline addition Jose Alvarado<\/a> and former Sixers first-round pick Landry Shamet<\/a> get reps on Tyrese Maxey<\/a>. The player Maxey will probably see the most of is Hart, who did a solid job at times on him two years ago in the playoffs. It\u2019s safe to say Maxey has grown quite a bit as a player since then. They also have veteran guard Jordan Clarkson<\/a> as a potential flamethrower off the bench.<\/p>\n

This Sixers starting group is much better than the one the Knicks saw two years ago. In fact, there\u2019s a legitimate argument to be made this is the Sixers\u2019 best starting group of the Joel Embiid era. Embiid and Maxey are humming right now. George\u2019s two-way excellence in the first round was crucial. Edgecombe<\/a> is playing nothing like a rookie, while Oubre has filled in the gaps, despite not shooting as well as he did in the regular season.<\/p>\n

Of course, New York is quite different, having moved on from Isaiah Hartenstein<\/a> and Donte DiVincenzo<\/a> \u2014 who both killed the Sixers in that series \u2014 and with the six-time All-Star Towns in the fold. They also have Brown instead of Tom Thibodeau, which means their starters will be much fresher than in previous postseasons.<\/p>\n

The Sixers\u2019 bench is where things are going to get interesting. Nurse was essentially in a seven-man rotation by the end of the first round. Grimes is really the only reserve who will play big minutes. The guess here is Nurse continues to roll with Andre Drummond<\/a> as his backup five given New York\u2019s size. The veteran big played a little over eight minutes in Game 7. That\u2019ll probably be the norm for this series.<\/p>\n

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The other x-factors on the fringes of the rotation are Justin Edwards<\/a> and Dominick Barlow<\/a>. Both guys are in a tough spot, having barely played in the first round. Edwards had some decent moments while Barlow struggled a bit. Again, the Knicks\u2019 size is not just with their bigs, as they feature multiple long wings. That could lead to minutes for either player. While Drummond will get the first crack at backup minutes, Adem Bona<\/a> could still be heard from in this series if the team needs a bit more energy and athleticism off the bench.<\/p>\n

The good news for both teams heading in: the injury report is basically clean. Embiid is listed as probable with a right hip contusion. He took a pretty good beating at the end of Game 7, so it\u2019s good to see he should be ready to go for Game 1.<\/p>\n

This should be a fun one. The Knicks are a good basketball team, but they\u2019re far from unbeatable. The Sixers have a legitimate chance to punch their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2001 \u2014 just as we all envisioned when the season began!<\/p>\n

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Game Details<\/p>\n

When:\u00a0May 4, 8 p.m. ET
Where:\u00a0Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Watch:\u00a0NBC, Peacock
Radio:\u00a097.5 The Fanatic
Follow:\u00a0@LibertyBallers<\/a><\/p>\n