Let The Games Begin — 76ers vs. Knicks Game 1 Preview
Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images
The first round of the NBA playoffs is underway, and the 76ers will get started with Game 1 in Manhattan at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night.
The Knicks are a very dangerous team. With OG Anunoby in the lineup, the Knicks are an outstanding 20-3. In the other corner, the 76ers are hotter than they’ve ever been riding a league-high 9-game winning streak and an epic comeback against Miami in the Play-In.
The undisputed best player on the Knicks is Jalen Brunson. He’s been a walking bucket ever since he put on a Knicks jersey, but the 76ers have done a good job of slowing him down in the regular season. After a 29-point game in the first game in the season series, he has been held to 21, 19, and 20. In two of those games, he shot a horrendous 27.8% and 27.3% from the field. One person who proved to be a bigger problem for the Sixers was Josh Hart, especially in the 4th and final game of the regular season series. He’s averaging 14.3 rebounds vs the 76ers and posted a dominant triple-double the last time the 2 teams met.
Most of these stats are skewed, however, because 3 of the 4 games in the season were played without Joel Embiid.
Tyrese Maxey when asked to carry a heavier load without Embiid vs the Knicks, has consistently delivered averaging 26.3 PPG. Now with less work being asked upon Maxey, for the first time since January we will see the elite duo of Embiid and Maxey go at the Knicks.
One thing the 76ers need to be prepared for is the elite Knicks defense. Especially with Joel Embiid who gets a very tough matchup against Mitchell Robinson and Isaiah Hartenstein. The Knicks’ defense ranks second in opponents PPG behind only the Timberwolves and 9th in the league in defensive rating. With OG Anunoby in the lineup, the Knicks opponents’ PPG is 101.7.
The 76ers match up well with their superstars as with Joel Embiid in the lineup the 76ers offense averages 120.7 PPG which would put them 2nd in the NBA. Record wise is also impressive as the 76ers have a 31-8 record with Embiid which is a 0.79 winning percentage which would be the best in the NBA.
One of the most important matchups in this series that I mentioned earlier is Embiid vs Mitchell Robinson and Isiah Hartenstein. Mitchell Robison in his career has had some success slowing down Embiid as he averages just 26.9 PPG with 11.3 rebounds per game. Obviously, those are still great numbers, but a noticeable dip from the 34.7 PPG Embiid averages on the season. Expect to see a lot of Mitchell Robinson because Isiah Hartenstein hasn’t seen the same success. In their careers against each other, Embiid averages 31.1 PPG and 11.1 rebounds per game.
Game 1 is obviously very important in any series in any sport. For the 76ers it represents itself as an opportunity to make a statement to the league that this team is real and it can and will go toe to toe with the top seeds in the East. For the Knicks, it is an opportunity to finally show the nation the great team they’ve quietly been building for a couple of years now. Game 1 will show us how equipped the 76ers are to handle a team like the Knicks who seem to be almost perfectly well-rounded with OG Anunoby healthy.
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