A Series 35 Years in the Making — 76ers vs. Knicks Series Preview
Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images
The Knicks and 76ers will do battle in the postseason for the first time since 1989. Jalen Brunson‘s Knicks went 50-32 in their first 50-win series since 2012. The Sixers on the other hand had somewhat of a down year, only winning 47 games. While this is still a decent number, this is Philly’s worst winning percentage since 2016.
This series is going to be one of the most entertaining 4-7 games that the NBA will see this postseason and it all begins Saturday at 6 in the Garden.
A sluggish Joel Embiid could be problematic in this series. Embiid has fought through injuries in the Playoffs before, and it’s a theme that he gets hurt this time of year.
He has to stay healthy if he wants to win this series.
The Sixers have a massive opportunity to take down one of the best teams in the league early on. The 76ers are better than the Knicks as a team, but without The Process, not so much.
New York has a young superstar in Jalen Brunson that needs to be stopped and there seems to be one main way to take down this team: Keep the ball out of Brunson’s hands. Tyrese Maxey or whoever is guarding Brunson needs to be disciplined. We cannot afford for him to average 30+ points this series. Should the Sixers slow down Jalen Brunson, they should have no problems taking care of the Knicks.
For the first time in 35 years, Philadelphia and New York have a postseason date. The last time they met in 1989, the Knicks swept Philly. The last time the Sixers beat the Knicks in the Playoffs was 1983, which is also the most recent championship season that Philadelphia had. Philly and New York are well-known rivals in all sports and the 76ers and Knicks are no exception.
Here is the series schedule:
Game 1: Saturday, April 20th, 6:00 P.M. EST, Madison Square Garden, ESPN
Game 2: Monday, April 22nd, 7:30 P.M. EST, Madison Square Garden, TNT
Game 3: Thursday, April 25th, 7:30 P.M. EST, Wells Fargo Center, TNT
Game 4: Sunday, April 28th, 1:00 P.M. EST, Wells Fargo Center, ABC
Game 5 (if necessary): Tuesday, April 30th, Time TBD, Madison Square Garden, TBD
Game 6 (if necessary): Thursday, May 2nd, Time TBD, Wells Fargo Center, TBD
Game 7 (if necessary): Saturday, May 4th, Time TBD, Madison Square Garden, TNT
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