April 19, 2024
Vincent Carchietta/USA TODAY Sports
Two Eastern Conference All-Stars about a foot separate in height -- Sixers center Joel Embiid and New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson -- will lead their respective teams into battle beginning Saturday evening at Madison Square Garden.
In several recent seasons, the Sixers dominated the New York Knicks in the regular season. There was a multi-year span in which the Knicks failed to notch a single victory over the Sixers. Things changed in 2024, though, when the new-look Knicks took three out of four contests against the Sixers, with two of those wins coming in Philadelphia and all three of them occurring in blowout fashion. This past regular season was the first in which the Knicks won the season series over the Sixers since the 2015-16 campaign in which the Sixers finished 10-72.
Season series results are often not emphatic indicators of playoff series outcomes, and this is an example of that: Sixers superstar center Joel Embiid only played in one of the four games these two teams faced off in this season. But across the four games, spanning from the beginning of January to the second week of March, there are some lessons we can learn.
Just so you would not have to, I spent my Thursday afternoon and evening rewatching all four Sixers-Knicks contests looking for any sorts of tells that may indicate how the playoff series will turn out. Here is what I found:
Like the Sixers and the Miami Heat team they just defeated, the Knicks have faced a tremendous amount of adversity this season, mostly in the form of injuries, and they have faced that adversity better than the Sixers or Heat all year long. Even now, as the dust settles before the playoffs begin, the Knicks will be without three-time All-Star forward Julius Randle, who has been ruled out for the remainder of the season with a shoulder injury.
There are many obvious negatives to dealing with a massive amount of injuries, but there are some silver linings. One of those is that it enables many players to prepare to fill several different roles throughout a season, so that no matter what challenges are thrown their way in the postseason, they do not have to enter uncharted territory.
The Knicks' All-Star point guard, rising superstar scorer Jalen Brunson, finished this regular season 10th in the NBA in total minutes played. But two Knicks actually played in more contests than Brunson: fellow Villanova products, workhorses Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo, who each logged 81 games. Hart is one of the game's best rebounders; DiVincenzo is one of the game's best three-point shooters. But both are tried and true defensive forces. Hart uses his incredible strength to take on bigger assignments, while DiVincenzo is more reliable against guards.
The Knicks, however, swung a significant trade at the end of December, acquiring wing OG Anunoby from the Toronto Raptors. Because of his late arrival and ensuing injuries, Anunoby has only played 23 games in blue and orange -- but when he has suited up, the Knicks have been dominant: New York went 20-3 in the regular season when the two-way threat was available. Part of the reason why was that he immediately stepped in as one of head coach Tom Thibodeau's most trusted perimeter defenders.
At 6-foot-7 and 232 pounds, Anunoby can guard big wings and even some big-men. But because of his tremendous athleticism and foot speed, he may profile as the Knicks' best chance to slow down Maxey, the Sixers' first-time All-Star guard who may be in line to win the NBA's Most Improved Player Award after averaging 25.9 points per game -- 11th-best in the NBA -- in his fourth professional season.
Anunoby only played in two of the four Sixers-Knicks games this season -- though Sixers head coach and former Toronto shot-caller Nick Nurse's former trusted wing did play against the Sixers twice in the early portion of the season as a member of the Raptors. But when Anunoby did suit up for New York against the Sixers, he was often Thibodeau's first choice to defend Maxey. When one glances at Maxey and notices his frame, they would not expect someone who looks like Anunoby to be his primary defender over the course of a playoff series. But the Knicks' starting wing figures to draw the assignment more than any of his teammates.
This is where we must circle back to the Knicks' bumpy journey, though. Because they have had to live life without Anunoby on plenty of occasions, the Knicks have both Hart and DiVincenzo more than prepared to take on the Maxey assignment at any given moment. Anunoby's superior speed likely makes him Thibodeau's choice to open things, but if either of Hart or DiVincenzo need to step into that role, they can. The Knicks' rotation also features an x-factor of sorts: 23-year-old guard Miles "Deuce" McBride, whose ability to defend his position at a high level while also knocking down 41 percent of his three-point attempts on significant volume has made him a fan favorite in New York.
Things did not go perfectly for Maxey against Miami. Unfortunately for him, they are not going to get much easier against New York. The time for him to step up is now.
Brunson is, as Maxey referred to him after Wednesday night's Play-In Tournament victory, New York's "head of the snake." The Villanova product who was born in New Brunswick, NJ put together an absolutely stellar season featuring yet another massive leap. Brunson received his first All-Star nod in the first half of the season and only got better from there, ultimately averaging 28.7 points per game -- the fourth-highest average in the NBA over the course of the season.
As you have probably heard by now, Sixers veteran wing Nico Batum had the game of his life to save the Sixers' season Wednesday night: he scored more points (20) than he had in any game in over a calendar year, put on a defensive clinic and came through in every single important spot.
The Sixers did a good job limiting Brunson as a scorer across their four contests against the Knicks this season, holding him to 22.3 points per game on subpar efficiency (Brunson posted a true shooting percentage of 53.6). One of the primary reasons was Batum, who by my eye spent more time defending Brunson than any other Sixer. Batum may continue to come off the bench in this series -- the Sixers' starting lineup of Maxey, Kyle Lowry, Kelly Oubre Jr., Tobias Harris and Embiid has generally been quite successful since Embiid's return from injury, and starting lineup changes this time of year are rare. But Batum's ability to not just pressure Brunson, but do so across all 94 feet of the floor, make it easy to pencil him in as an integral part of the Sixers' rotation in this series, perhaps even more than usual.
But, like the Knicks, the Sixers have plenty of trustworthy defensive options on the perimeter as well. Lowry and Oubre were both stellar on that end of the floor against Miami, and will both see some of Brunson (Oubre would be my pick to open games defending him). Maxey lacks the physicality to counter the immense strength that helps make Brunson so lethal, but his defensive strides in recent weeks have been noticeable, culminating in an impressive outing in that department against the Heat. He can take on difficult assignments these days, even if for brief spurts of time. Harris is not the ideal defender against a point guard, but has enough reps in similar matchups that he would not be a terrible option against Brunson if needed.
Slowing down Brunson may be even more challenging for the Sixers than slowing down Maxey will be for the Knicks. But in addition to the strategic advantages that come with having a coach as creative as Nurse, the Sixers do have the requisite personnel to make the fellow first-time All-Star guard's life difficult.
By the end of any good playoff series, each fanbase has a newfound hatred for a player on the opposing team who they simply did not realize would frustrate them so much. Heat fans may never forget The Nico Batum Game. One reason the Sixers won that game is because Miami was without renowned Sixers Killer Terry Rozier.
Hart's exploits have always been respected because he played at a high-profile school and won a national championship. His abilities have become even more appreciated in recent months as he stars in a significant role for one of the league's flagship teams in one of its largest markets. He is even a viral podcaster these days. But at his core, Hart is simply a killer who will always find a way to torture his opponents and their fans.
I do not say this lightly: Hart has the chance to frustrate Sixers fans more than any opposing role player has since Marcus Smart's peak of annoyance with the Boston Celtics.
First of all, the way the Sixers play on defense and their tendency to attempt to suffocate stars allow capable but imperfect three-point shooters to take big shots. One of the reasons they beat Miami is that someone like former Sixers developmental project Haywood Highsmith missed all four of his three-point tries. Hart fits the exact profile: he is not a good enough shooter that the Sixers will always stick to him when Brunson drives -- Hart made just 31 percent of his three-point tries this season -- but as a 34.4 percent three-point shooter for his career and a genuine big-game player, he has more than enough ability to knock down a crucial shot in a pivotal situation.
Then there is the defense. Hart will likely get some cracks at Maxey; as a 6-foot-4 player that is the kind of matchup one might expect him to take on. But he will also see a lot of time -- perhaps the majority of his minutes -- against wings. Hart is extremely physical, enough to hang with guys who may have much better frames like Batum or superior athleticism like Oubre.
But Hart is also cerebral. There will absolutely be times when he goads Harris into making avoidable blunders. His timing on double-teams against Embiid will be pristine, and he will likely force the reigning NBA MVP to commit some turnovers that look like head-scratchers. Hell, he and Thibodeau are both so maniacal that he could end up guarding Embiid one-on-one at certain junctures. That is the kind of versatile athlete the Sixers will have to deal with here.
This is perhaps all without mentioning the part of Hart's game that will anger Sixers fans the most: his uncanny rebounding ability. Despite that 6-foot-4 listed height, Hart averaged 8.3 rebounds per game this season. He finished the season 16th in the NBA in total rebounds, an absolutely ridiculous feat for someone of his size. What is as impressive as Hart's rebounding ability is the timeliness of his rebounds. He seems to come up with every single 50-50 ball, will revive possessions with offensive rebounds at crucial junctures of games, and is simply able to come away with the ball on occasions when he has absolutely no business doing so.
Prepare for at least one Knicks win in this series where Hart makes a defining play or has a signature moment or performance. It feels inevitable.
