With opportunity knocking for some team to step up and show they were the team to beat in the East, the New York Knicks answered that door.
The Knicks slammed that door on Joel Embiid and the 76ers on Sunday before they could get their foot in the way.
In a building that sounded far more like Madison Square Garden than Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, the Knicks started 9-of-10 from 3-point range, hit 11 from beyond the arc in the first quarter, led by double-digits less than 4:30 into the game, and never looked back.
New York led by 19 after the first quarter and 24 at the half — after hitting 18 first-half 3-pointers on 29 attempts (62%), tying the NBA playoff record for most 3-pointers in a half. Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns scored or assisted on 59 of the Knicks 81 first-half points.
The Knicks pushed that lead up to 30 by the middle of the third quarter, and if this were a Little League game, the mercy rule would have kicked in.
New York went on to win 144-114, sweeping Philadelphia out of the playoffs 4-0.
New York advances and will face the winner of the Detroit vs. Cleveland series, which the Pistons lead 2-1. The Knicks will head into that series on a seven-game winning streak, winning those games by an average of 26.4 points.
Philadelphia heads into a summer with a lot of questions… and no easy answers.
The Knicks return to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second straight season, but they look more dominant. Part of that was New York finally starting to use Towns as a hub in the high post, taking advantage of his passing if teams bring a double team.
As for Sunday’s Game 4, there is only so much to say.
New York was red hot and focused from the opening tip, and it finished with 25 made 3s, tying the NBA record for most 3-pointers in a playoff game.
Deuce McBride led the way with seven 3-pointers and 25 points, while Brunson had 22 points and Josh Hart and Towns each scored 17.
Joel Embiid scored 24 points, while Tyrese Maxey added 17 for Philadelphia.
The 76ers have not advanced past the second round in 25 years. On the court, this has become Maxey’s team — he should make an All-NBA team this year — especially paired with VJ Edgecombe in the backcourt. The Knicks need to pivot to building around them as the future.
However, Embiid and Paul George are on the books next season for a combined $112 million and $119 million for the 2027-28 season (that assumes George picks up his player option for that season, a safe bet). Because both have injury histories and availability concerns, trading them would be difficult at best (the 76ers would likely have to send draft picks to the team taking them as a sweetener).
That’s the 76ers’ offseason problem. The Knicks now get to rest before the Eastern Conference Finals start.
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