It’s been more than 26 years since the Knicks swept an opponent in a playoff series. After a 108-94 victory on Friday night against the Philadelphia 76ers, the Knicks have a chance to accomplish a feat that hasn’t happened since Patrick Ewing was their starting center.
New York has put it all together in the playoffs. After falling behind 2-1 to the Atlanta Hawks in the first round, the Knicks have won six consecutive playoff games. The offense and defense are both humming. With a chance at a 4-0 series sweep on Sunday afternoon, let's walk through some keys to Game 4.
Bridges game
With OG Anunoby unavailable due to a hamstring injury, Mikal Bridges stepped up in an immense way, posting 23 points on 8-for-14 shooting. Bridges led a decisive Knicks run in the second quarter, scoring 10 points in the frame.
We knew Jalen Brunson was going to be productive. The Knicks All-Star guard ended up with 33 points. But New York needed another player to come along for the ride and Bridges was game for the challenge.
With Karl-Anthony Towns limited to just eight points in 26 minutes due to foul trouble, Bridges stepped in for one of his best two-way performances of the season. Bridges has made a near 180-degree transformation from just two weeks ago. He’s been more aggressive in looking for his shot.
Also, he’s done a good job of playing off of New York’s two All-Stars. Brunson is occasionally being blitzed on the pick-and-roll which has opened up some looks for Bridges. Towns’ emergence as a playmaker has allowed Bridges to make more plays as an off ball cutter.
Going forward, the Knicks don’t need the 6-foot-6 wing to get out of character. He’s effective when he’s making quick reads as a play finisher.
Defense to the max
Defense is where Bridges has also helped the Knicks. His main responsibility has been checking 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey throughout this series. New York’s aggressive defensive strategy of blitzing Maxey in the pick-and-roll has largely worked. Maxey was efficient, going 8-for-12. But he only finished with 17 points in 44 minutes in Game 3.
The Knicks have done a good job covering Maxey during this series, holding the All-Star point guard to 18.7 points and five assists through three games. That’s a far cry from 2024, when Maxey torched the Knicks for 29.8 points in six first-round games. Miles McBride and Landry Shamet also deserve some credit for defending Maxey throughout this game.
Heading into Game 4, the Sixers will look to find a few ways to free up Maxey. Philadelphia could take a page out of New York’s playbook and have Maxey come off screens more often à la Brunson. The Sixers could also emphasize getting out and running to create some easy transition looks for the point guard.
Bench mob
A key to this series has been New York’s depth. Over the course of three games, New York’s reserves have an 86-51 scoring edge over Philadelphia. The Knicks bench shined brightest on Friday, outscoring Philadelphia’s subs 28-6 before the benches were emptied late in the game. Specifically, Shamet was a significant difference maker, putting up 15 points on 5-for-6 shooting from the field.
Mitchell Robinson also returned from an illness to have a solid performance. In 16 minutes, he was a plus-16 with six points and six rebounds, including a monster alley-oop over Joel Embiid.
On the Sixers side, head coach Nick Nurse is not utilizing his bench much in this series. Outside of the starting lineup, the 76ers have about two or three reserves playing real rotation minutes. Maxey has sat for just five total minutes in the last two games. Starters Paul George and VJ Edgecombe have both played at least 38 minutes in both Games 2 and 3.
Every playoff series is a war of attrition. If the 76ers are going to lean this heavily on their starters, that gives the Knicks an energy advantage going into Game 4.
COVERS INTEL: Cabrera ranks in the 
Shea Langeliers
Gunnar Henderson
Liam Hicks
/
- NRFI
/
- NRFI
/
- YRFI
