Knicks complete sweep of Sixers, tie NBA playoff record with 25 three-pointers

The Knicks didn’t just eliminate the Sixers. They detonated the series. New York beat Philadelphia 144-114 on Sunday, May 10, to finish a 4-0 sweep in the Eastern Conference semifinals and get back to the Eastern Conference finals for the second straight year. (apnews.com) The headline number was 25 made threes, which tied the NBA playoff record. But the bigger thing was how easy New York made a closeout game look. ### Why was this such a big deal? Closeout games are usually messy. The trailing team is desperate, the whistles get weird, and the favorite often has to survive a run or two. (apnews.com) That never really happened here. Philadelphia’s only lead was 2-0. After that, New York turned the game into target practice and had the building sounding more like Madison Square Garden South than a road arena. ### What actually broke the game open? The three-point shooting did — immediately. The Knicks made 11 threes in the first quarter, which set a new NBA playoff record for a first quarter, then got to 18 by halftime, tying the playoff record for any half. (apnews.com) By the end, they were 25-for-44 from deep. That’s not just hot shooting. That’s a defense getting stretched until the whole shape of the game collapses. ### Who led it? Jalen Brunson had 22 points and six assists. Josh Hart added 17 points and nine rebounds. But the sneaky killer was Miles McBride, who scored a game-high 25 points. That’s part of why this was so ominous for the rest of the East — New York hung 144 without needing one guy to go nuclear for 40. (sportingnews.com) ### Why does the balance matter so much? Because playoff defenses are built to take away the first answer. Brunson is usually that first answer. If traps come, Hart can punish rotations. If the defense loads up on the stars, McBride can burn the second unit or feast on scrambled matchups. (apnews.com) New York had 33 assists and six players in double figures, which is basically the box-score version of “pick your poison.” ### Was this just one absurd shooting night? Not really — that’s the scary part. The Knicks opened this series by beating the Sixers 137-98 in Game 1, and they took a 3-0 lead behind another strong Brunson game in Game 3. (apnews.com) So yes, 25 threes is an outlier. But the larger pattern is that New York has been overwhelming teams early, scoring in bunches, and forcing opponents to play uphill almost from the opening tip. ### What does this say about Philadelphia? It says the Sixers ran into a team that was sharper, deeper, and more organized on both ends. Philadelphia had just pulled off a dramatic comeback against Boston in the first round, so this wasn’t some exhausted lottery team stumbling into May. (sportingnews.com) But against New York, the Sixers couldn’t control the arc, couldn’t win the possession battle, and couldn’t make the series feel competitive. ### So where does this leave the Knicks? In a very serious place. Back-to-back conference finals trips are not a cute story anymore. They’re evidence. New York now looks like a team with a bankable star in Brunson, enough shooting to break a scheme, and enough depth to survive when the game tilts away from Plan A. (espn.com) ### Bottom line? The record-tying threes are the flashy part. The more important part is that the Knicks closed a second-round series with total control. That’s what contenders do. (apnews.com) (cbsnews.com)