2024 NBA Playoffs Preview: New York Knicks vs Philadelphia 76ers – After eliminating the Miami Heat in a tense Play-in game, the Philadelphia 76ers will face off against the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs.
The New York Knicks, much like the Sacramento Kings and the Minnesota Timberwolves, have finally found their footing in the NBA after years of wandering. Old-school head coach and defensive specialist Tom Thibodeau has finally steered the franchise from the ‘Big Apple’ in the right direction first instilling discipline and then imprinting his distinctive coaching style.
The playing system relies mostly on isolations of the best players with a lot of unseen and ‘dirty’ work from the rest of the team. There aren’t overly intricate schematic attacks which emphasis is placed on ball movement and fluidity, with the notable absence of much-needed rest for the key players.
However, despite Jalen Brunson’s absolute domination in the late season (averaging 33.9 points and 7.3 assists on the last 20 games with a stellar 49% shooting), there will not be second fiddle Julius Randle who is injured for the rest of the season. This might have been the biggest issue for the team in the Thibodeau era. Often, it wasn’t clear who the true star of the New York Knicks was between Randle and Brunson. It’s like they took turns. Although both undeniably possess All-Star quality, it’s hard to place either of them in the upper echelon of full-fledged NBA superstars. Even though Brunson is seriously contending for that position.
Let’s go back a bit. The Knicks were a fringe playoff team at best for years. But with the arrival of the popular ‘Thibs’, the franchise stabilized, finishing last season in fifth place in the Eastern Conference (defeated in six games by the Miami Heat in the second round). This season, they finished in second place. This is a remarkable achievement when we consider the teams that ended up behind them, with them trailing only the Boston Celtics.
New York Knicks vs Philadelphia 76ers – H2H
When it comes to the head-to-head record between these two teams in the playoffs, a total of 33 games have been played. The Philadelphia 76ers is holding the advantage of 21-12. However, the last time they met was a staggering 35 years ago!
Those were epic times when the NBA began to shine in its full glory. The league’s biggest stars were centers. In that last series in 1989, we had clashes between two members of the popular “Dream Team” – Patrick Ewing for the Knicks and Charles Barkley for the 76ers. It was a series in which the Knicks triumphed 3-0 and it was the first round of the playoffs.
This season head-to-head
- Philadelphia 76ers vs New York Knicks – 92:128
- Philadelphia 76ers vs New York Knicks – 96:110
- New York Knicks vs Philadelphia 76ers – 73:79
- New York Knicks vs Philadelphia 76ers – 106:79
New York Knicks Strenghts and Weaknesses
- Strenghts – Things have changed for the Knicks this season primarily with the arrival of OG Anunoby, a 3&D specialist (with him and Brunson on the court, the team has a record of 19-2). They gave up a lot. With RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley leaving, players who brought in a huge number of points but without much defensive contribution, and that simply doesn’t fly with Thibodeau. Anunoby and Josh Hart have brilliantly filled the forward positions in Randle’s absence. They imposed a “defensive fortress” that few teams can break through.
- Weaknesses – The turbulent season for the Knicks reached its peak when they arguably made a “steal” at the trade deadline by acquiring Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks. Duo from the struggling Detroit Pistons who guaranteed what they chronically lacked – three-point shooting. Both came with over 40% three-point shooting in their arsenal. The Croatian even averaged 20 points per game. It seemed like the final piece of the puzzle for the mosaic carefully crafted by Tom Thibodeau.
Philadelphia 76ers Strenghts and Weaknesses
- Strenghts – When comparing the main players on the court, Joel Embiid is naturally at an advantage over Brunson due to his height and physical dominance. This comparison might not make much sense at first glance, but considering how much Brunson contributes to the Knicks’ offense and that his main offensive weapon is scoring from the paint, we come to a potential key of the series.
When healthy, Joel Embiid is a defensive force. Opponents shoot 12.7% worse when guarded by Embiid, making him the league leader in this regard. Although he’s an outside player and relatively short, it’s interesting to note that a significant percentage of Brunson’s shots come from within the paint. This season, he has attempted 284 shots at the rim (17.6% of all his attempts), 234 shots from within two meters of the basket (14.2% of all his attempts), and 227 three-point attempts from the right side of the court (13.7% of his attempts).
It’s clear that Brunson’s strength lies in shooting with a 59% success rate (above the league average) precisely where Joel Embiid excels defensively. This could be where the 76ers break this series. While Brunson has decent shooting percentages from the outside, if he’s forced to rely solely on outside scoring due to Embiid’s presence in the paint, Thibodeau’s system could hit a roadblock.
Weaknesses – Without Embiid, they’ve slipped from third to eighth position. They haven’t managed to string together two wins during this period and Tyrese Maxey’s shooting averages have dropped, which is logical. With him in the lineup, they were at a ratio of 26-8 out of a total of 29-13. They were third in the East, had the third-best net rating, and a top six defense and offense in the NBA.
X-Factor: Tyrese Maxey
When comparing two point guards, Brunson may indeed be a more recognizable name in the NBA rather than Maxey. Brunson is someone who has already proven himself capable of deciding playoff games for the Dallas Mavericks. However, Maxey is fantastic when paired with Embiid. It benefits him that the current MVP is the main focus of the defences. That opens up corridors for Maxey due to his greatest asset – speed.
We doubt they’ll be guarding each other directly since the main scorers are usually conserved on defense, but as we’ve already mentioned, the issues Brunson might face with Embiid could come to the forefront in this series. With Embiid as the main focus of the defense, Maxey could shine, potentially making this series a showcase for him.
New York Knicks vs Philadelphia 76ers: Three things to watch
- Isaiah Hartenstein: How can the Knicks stop Joel Embiid? Despite being a defensively strong team, Joel Embiid is a “different beast.” When he’s healthy, he’s an unstoppable player. Being the first player since Wilt Chamberlain to score at least a point per minute played is proof that there really aren’t any defenses made for him in the NBA. Despite his tendency to disappear in the playoffs and still not being physically at 100%, there’s a hunger for the title almost certainly after missing out on a second consecutive MVP title.
- Josh Hart: The Hart the Knicks got against the 76ers was the best Hart, the guy who averaged 12.3 points, 14.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists while playing 39 minutes. He could be as essential in this series as he was in their four regular season meetings. Get ready for a nosebleed from Hart’s on/off numbers: In the 156 minutes he was on the floor against the 76ers, New York had an 81.5 defensive rating. In the 36 he sat, it was 137.7. Hart’s net rating: 57.7.
- Slow pace basketball: According to Second Spectrum tracking, the Knicks took 24.5% of their shots in the last six seconds of the shot clock this season. That was the league’s highest rate by a wide margin. The 76ers ranking second at 22.6%. Over two series in last year’s play-offs, Philadelphia 76ers took an amazing 30.8% of its shots in the last six seconds of the shot clock.
Late-clock shots are, generally, not good shots. As a whole, the league had an effective field goal percentage of just 47.5% in the last six seconds of the shot clock, compared to 55.2% in the middle 12 and 60.8% in the first six.
In a way, these teams have been playing playoff-style basketball all year and should be comfortable playing late in the clock, though both teams were a little below the league average in regard to effective field goal percentage in late-clock situations.
Isaiah Hartenstein 🇩🇪 last FIVE games:
— Basketball Sphere (@BSphere_) January 14, 2024
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