The New York Knicks staged one of the most remarkable comebacks of the NBA playoffs to escape Game 2 with a victory over the Philadelphia 76ers – and a 2-0 series lead – and the 76ers return home with history decidedly against them.
This is the 15th time in franchise history that the 76ers have lost the first two games of a best-of-seven series. Their record in these previous playoff games? Zero wins, 14 losses. And throughout NBA history, teams in Philadelphia’s position have gone 22-265 (.083).
Yet, in the wake of Philadelphia’s collapse in the final seconds of Game 2, 76ers superstar Joel Embiid still firmly believes his team will find a way to overcome this deficit.
“We’re good,” Embiid said, sitting in the Madison Square Garden locker room Monday night after playing 39 minutes with a wobbly left knee.
“We’re going to win this series.”
There’s reason to believe Embiid’s optimism is more than just bravado. Heading into Thursday’s Game 3, here are five reasons why this 76ers-Knicks series might have a long road ahead.
Even a hobbled Embiid had an impact on this series
Embiid is limited for another playoff run. This time, it’s his left knee, on which he had surgery in February. He also appeared to get his eyes poked during the first game and spent his media session looking away from the camera after the second game and has worn a pair of black Gucci sunglasses whenever he is in public and not on the ground.
But even though Embiid hasn’t been as effective as he was during the regular season, shooting 39 percent overall (including 4 of 17 from 3-point range), he’s still having an extremely positive impact on the series when he is on the field. In the 76 minutes he played in Games 1 and 2, the 76ers outscored the Knicks by 17 points. In the 20 minutes he was on the bench, the Knicks outscored the 76ers by 27 points.
And this manifests itself in a few specific areas. Offensively, Embiid’s passing has been excellent, as he has had a total of 12 assists to just four turnovers in the first two games, including a brilliant bounce pass in transition in Game 1 and an assist to Tyrese Maxey on a double team in Game 2 that led to what, at the time, appeared to be the 3-point shot that would seal the victory for the 76ers.
Defensively, Embiid’s hampered mobility has been a problem for the Sixers. He averaged nine rebounds in the first two games, but New York dominated the offensive glass in Game 1, and Embiid didn’t grab a single defensive rebound in the second half of Game 2. Where his impact clearly manifesting, however, is a deterrent to inside shots, as ESPN’s internal tracking data shows New York shooting 5 of 17 when Embiid contests shots.
Maxey shows why he is the most improved player in the league
Maxey was the most productive player in this series over two games. Playing through illness in Monday’s Game 2 loss, he finished with 35 points, 9 rebounds and 10 assists in 44 minutes, a team high. In the first two games, Maxey shot 54% overall and 40% from 3-point range and averaged 34 points and 7 assists.
But 76ers coach Nick Nurse called on Maxey to increase his aggression after Game 2, even after averaging 24 shots in the first two games.
“There were periods of the game where I didn’t see him being as aggressive,” Nurse said of Maxey’s Game 2. “But certainly, like in the last 15 minutes, he was really chasing it and turning on the jets — all the things he can do over and over again. So, I thought he was great when it was really important.
Maxey is one of the fastest players in the league, finishing second to Stephen Curry in average speed on offense this season per Second Spectrum, and he has shown the ability to get to the rim at will, even against elite defense from New York during the first. two games. The 76ers will need more if they want to even the series.
Philadelphia’s plan for Jalen Brunson is working
Throughout this magical season for the Knicks, Brunson has been the driving force behind the team. He broke through to his first All-Star selection, is likely to earn MVP and First-Team All-NBA votes and has become one of the league’s elite point guards after averaging 28.7 points and 6.7 assists and shot 47.9% overall and 40.1% from 3-point range during the regular season.
Brunson didn’t play like this player in the first two games in New York. Predictably, he was right in the middle of New York’s comeback Monday night, scoring a 3-point basket and helping lead Maxey into the game-clinching turnover.
But in the first two games, Philadelphia gave Brunson a lot of problems. He shot a combined 16-of-53 (29.1 percent) from the field in those games, including 2-of-12 from 3-point range, as Philadelphia’s game plan — relying on Kelly Oubre Jr. and His 7-foot wingspan harassing Brunson on the perimeter and following him on drives in the paint, coupled with Embiid’s massive presence at the rim, is clearly having an impact.
Oubre has had success against Brunson throughout games between the two teams this season, limiting him to just 26 percent shooting in half-court matchups, according to Second Spectrum.
When asked how to alleviate his early playoff struggles, Brunson was clear. “Slow down. Be myself. Plain and simple,” he said.
As the series moves to the city where Brunson won two national championships at Villanova, his play — and whether he can return to the version of himself that dominated during the regular season — will be a key storyline to watch.
Philly plays percentages with Josh Hart’s shooting – and (most importantly) wins
Coming into this series, not only was Philadelphia expected to leave Hart alone to shoot from 3-point range, but that was also Hart’s expectation.
“The last two games of the regular season, our season series, Nick’s game plan was just to play me and challenge me to make shots,” Hart said after the first game. “I knew as soon as they won (the game-in-the-game). And I knew it would be the same with (Heat coach Erik Spoelstra) if Miami won. So that’s something to work on. I knew I had to concentrate.
Philadelphia focused most of its defensive attention on Brunson and challenged Hart to hit open triples. And between the fourth quarter of Game 1 and the first half of Game 2, he went 7 of 9 from 3-point range.
In the other five quarters of this series? He’s gone 1 for 6. That’s much more in line with his 31% shooting rate from behind the arc this season, and why Nurse has said multiple times over the past few days that he’s comfortable letting Hart open on the perimeter.
“Obviously you’re trying to protect some guys,” Nurse said after Game 1, when Hart hit three late triples to win the game for the Knicks. “Give them credit.
“I think we’re probably OK with some of those shots, but they hit them. Give them credit for going into them and hitting them.”
Sixers players failed to keep their promises in two games
Through the first two games of this series, Embiid and Maxey together scored 63.9 percent of the 76ers’ points, compared to 44.0 percent in the regular season through late January, when Embiid injured his knee. Philadelphia will turn to role players such as Oubre, Tobias Harris and Buddy Hield and as the series returns to Philadelphia. The three combined to shoot 35 percent from the field in the series.
“Go back to the gym and get ready,” Harris said after Game 2. “I mean, it’s the playoffs. There are no moral victories and no one is going to feel sorry for us, so we have to finding ways to improve and finding ways to get our first win and bring this thing home.
Harris, who scored 17.2 points per game during the regular season, is in single digits through the first two games. Oubre went from 15.4 points per game in the regular season to 7.0 so far in this series. And Hield, in the playoffs for the first time in his career, went 1 of 5 in 26 minutes and missed all three of his 3-point attempts.
Conversely, the Knicks got 30 points from Miles McBride and 19 from Bojan Bogdanovic, who made two crucial 3-pointers early in the fourth quarter of Game 2 to keep the Knicks in front.
“It’s kind of the difference of the game,” Nurse said of Bogdanovic’s late baskets. “They kind of keep bringing in all these guys who can shoot the 3 and they lay them off like they’re not even really that open sometimes. And they make them.”
If these results reverse as location changes, it would significantly increase Philadelphia’s chances.
Matt Williams of ESPN Stats and Information contributed to this story.
