Sixers flip quick switch to second-round matchup against New York Knicks

NEW YORK — The calendar had already flipped from Saturday to Sunday by the point a sunglasses-wearing Joel Embiid he took his seat for his postgame information convention. Which meant the 76ers’ star huge man might now not take pleasure in one of many largest wins of his profession.

“I had until midnight to celebrate it,” Embiid stated. “It’s past midnight. It’s over with.”

That is the jarring actuality of the NBA playoffs. The Sixers completed off a surprising rally from down three video games to one against the Boston Celtics to win a dramatic Game 7 at TD Garden. Their reward for eliminating the Celtics from the postseason for the primary time in additional than 4 a long time? A quick turnaround to Monday’s Game 1 of their second-round matchup against the third-seeded (and fellow rival) New York Knicks.

» READ MORE: Sixers release single-game tickets with restrictions for second-round series vs. Knicks

The Sixers didn’t hassle returning to Philly after Saturday’s victory, as a substitute touring straight from Boston to Manhattan.

“Both teams are going to come out there and be extremely competitive,” All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey he stated. “It’s going to be a dogfight. It’s going to be a chess match.”

Maxey has motive to imagine that, following a incredible first-round matchup between these two groups in 2024. Although the Knicks received in six video games, the collection’ whole level differential was a minuscule 650-649. And the atmospheres reached ear-piercing ranges, although, due to the Knicks followers invaded Xfinity Mobile Arena, Embiid on Saturday implored Sixers followers not to sell their tickets to the enemy.

This season, the Sixers and Knicks break up their 4 regular-season matchups, though the final one occurred in mid-February. And some key characters on either side have modified since their final postseason showdown.

The Knicks made all-in blockbuster trades for All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns and wing Mikal Bridges, who helped them advance final season to the Eastern Conference finals for the primary time since 2000 however usually have grow to be the topic of harsh outdoors criticism.

The Sixers, in the meantime, signed Paul George and drafted VJ Edgecombecreating what Embiid referred to as a “much better team” that’s “in sync” on each ends of the ground this time round. coach Nick Nurse additionally recommended the best way the Sixers responded to Boston’s first-round punches, together with two dreadful blowout losses and the palpable depth of Game 7.

“We seem to bounce back almost every time,” Nurse stated. “…We seem to kind of have that in us. But this is different than [the regular season]so that’s a lesson we can learn. I do think that, these games and these series, you’re going to have really high highs and really low lows, man. You are.

“It’s just the way it is, and you’ve got to be able to handle both of them.”

» READ MORE: VJ Edgecombe shines again at TD Garden, sending his terrific rookie season to the playoffs’ second round

Still, Embiid called this season’s version of the Knicks a “really good frickin’ team.”

During the regular season, New York ranked fourth in offensive efficiency (119.7 points per 100 possessions), sixth in defensive efficiency (113.3 points allowed per 100 possessions), and fifth in net rating (plus-6.5). After a shaky start to the playoffs, the Knicks eliminated the sixth-seeded Atlanta Hawks with an eye-popping 140-89 Game 6 victory in Round 1.

Their massive internal expectations have been publicly declared from the very top, after owner Jim Dolan said during a January radio interview that, with this roster, “getting to the Finals, we completely have to do. Winning the Finals, we should always do.” Although their season has meandered at times, the Knicks could now be viewed as the favorite to win the conference after Boston’s shocking first-round exit and the top-seeded Detroit Pistons’ early falters before coming back to beat the eighth-seeded Orlando Magic in Sunday’s Game 7.

All-NBA guard Jalen Brunson (26 points, 6.8 assists per game) is still a scoring maestro with the ball in his hands — especially in crunch time — and will require similar on-ball perimeter defensive performances to what the Sixers mustered against the Celtics’ Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. Offensive rebounding will again be a prominent storyline, after the Knicks blasted the Sixers in that category two years ago and ranked sixth in the NBA during the regular season (12.7 per game).

The Sixers will counter with their own star power of Maxey, who vaulted into that stratosphere in that 2024 playoff series with a 46-point, season-saving flurry in Game 5 at Madison Square Garden. The 25-year-old is even better now, ranking fifth in the league in scoring (28.3 points per game) while adding 6.6 assists, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.9 steals during the regular season to put himself in All-NBA contention.

Yet the overwhelming caveat while evaluating this matchup is whether Embiid can remain healthy enough to play at this level for another series.

He alluded that he was “dealing with some stuff” — aka Bell’s palsy that paralyzed part of his face, along with the aftermath of knee surgery — during his last playoff series against the Knicks. This year, he is still less than a month removed from an appendectomy. During Game 7, Embiid was limping late in the game after Maxey inadvertently fell into his legs, and television cameras caught him doing some elaborate full-body stretches while laying on the floor.

“I really feel nice. I really feel wonderful,” Embiid said again, after acknowledging after Game 6 that is what his brain has been telling him. “I was faking it [the previous injuries].”

» READ MORE: Joel Embiid and the Sixers finally have their signature playoff moment. What a story.

How much energy do Embiid and the Sixers have left, after expending so much to rally to their first-round upset?

Embiid had already moved on before he even left Boston’s TD Garden.

And on the trip straight to New York, the Sixers brought their confidence.

“If we play hard from start to finish,” George stated, “we can beat anybody.”