Knicks sweep 76ers 144-114

The Knicks didn’t just close out the 76ers. They detonated the series. New York beat Philadelphia 144-114 on Sunday, May 10, to finish a 4-0 sweep and get back to the Eastern Conference finals for the second straight year. The score was huge, but the real story was how it happened — with a three-point avalanche so extreme it turned a road playoff game into something that felt like a Knicks home celebration. (apnews.com) ### Why did this game feel over so fast? Because the Knicks came out bombing and never stopped. They hit 11 threes in the first quarter alone, built a 43-24 lead after one, and pushed the margin to 24 by halftime. (newsday.com) Philadelphia’s only lead was 2-0. After that, the game was basically a long demonstration of who had better spacing, better rhythm, and way more confidence. ### What was the headline number? It was 25. New York made 25 three-pointers on 44 attempts — 56.8% from deep — which tied the NBA playoff record for threes in a game. The Knicks also tied the first-half playoff record with 18 made threes. (apnews.com) When a team shoots like that, normal playoff math stops working. A defense can survive one hot quarter. It usually can’t survive four. ### Who actually carried the scoring? That’s part of what makes this scarier for the next opponent. The Knicks didn’t need one superhero game. Miles McBride led them with 25 points and seven made threes. (apnews.com) Jalen Brunson had 22. Six players scored in double figures, and 12 Knicks had at least five points. So this wasn’t one guy going nuclear. It was the whole machine humming. ### Why does that matter beyond one night? Because balance travels. If this had been a 45-point Brunson rescue act, you’d say fine — maybe the next defense can trap him and change the series. But New York won with volume, pace, and lineup depth. (foxsports.com) The Knicks also rebounded better, ran better, and created 20 fast-break points. That’s not just hot shooting. That’s control. ### What went wrong for Philadelphia? The Sixers never matched the pressure. They shot just 8-for-35 from three, or 22.9%, while New York kept stretching the floor. Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey produced, but Philadelphia didn’t get nearly enough from the rest of the roster, and the game kept widening before any half-court answer could settle in. (nbcnewyork.com) Once the Knicks got comfortable, the Sixers were chasing smoke. ### Was this just one hot game? Not really. That’s the bigger point. New York has been steamrolling teams for a while now. Earlier in this postseason, the Knicks opened this series with a 137-98 win, and NBA.com’s recap noted they had already put together a historic run of lopsided playoff victories. (foxsports.com) So Game 4 looked extreme, but it also looked like the latest version of a trend. ### What changes now? The Knicks move on, and the conversation changes with them. This is no longer just a nice playoff run. It’s back-to-back trips to the Eastern Conference finals, plus their first best-of-seven sweep since 1999. The next opponent is either Detroit or Cleveland. (foxsports.com) Either way, New York arrives looking less like a scrappy survivor and more like a team that can bury you in 12 minutes. ### Bottom line? The score says blowout. The shooting says history. But the thing that matters most is simpler — the Knicks made a closeout game look easy, and teams that can do that this late in May are real problems. (newsday.com) (nba.com)