Knicks outlast 76ers, 25 lead changes

The Knicks got the win, but the bigger story was the shape of it. Game 2 on May 6 was nothing like New York’s Game 1(nba.com) and 14 ties before the Knicks finally closed it out 108-102 at Madison Square Garden. That gave New York a 2-0 lead in the Eastern (nba.com)s not going to be easy. (nba.com) ### Why did (nba.com)o the kind of game New York usually likes to play — slow, physical, ugly, and tense late. Game 1 was a 39-point Knicks win. Game 2 was the opposite. Neither team led by more than seven, and every little run got answered almost immediately. That kind of game usually comes down to one star creating a clean shot when nothing else is there. (nba.com) ### What was the swing (nba.com)inal minutes, then Jalen Brunson started bending it toward the Knicks. He finished with 26 points, and the key wasn’t just the total — it was when the points arrived. New York finally found a little breathing room because Brunson kept getting to his spots when the floor had shrunk and the possessions were getting frantic. (nba.com) ### Why do 25 lead changes (nba.com)inal score hides a game where one team controlled most of the night and just got sloppy late. Not here. This was back-and-forth the whole way. NBA.com noted it was the most lead changes in a playoff game in 11 years. Basically, every adjustment worked for a minute and then stopped working. That’s a sign of a live series, not a solved one. (nba.com) ### Ho(nba.com)out Joel Embiid, Philadelphia didn’t have its usual bailout option, so the 76ers had to win possessions with pace, ball movement, and enough shot-making to keep New York from ever settling. They didn’t have the margin for error to survive the final Knicks run, but they proved they could force New York to execute instead of just overpowering them. That’s a meaningful change from Game 1. (nba.com) #(nba.com)t late-game answer in the series. Brunson wasn’t just scoring. He was calming the game down. That matters in playoff basketball, where half the offense in the last five minutes is just not panicking. When a game keeps flipping sides, the team with the most reliable shot creator usually gets the last word. In Game 2, that was Brunson again. (nba.com) ### Is 2-0 as safe as it sounds? Not really. It’s a s(nba.com)ea that New York is cruising. The Knicks are up 2-0, yet the second game showed Philadelphia can make them work through every possession. If Embiid returns later in the series, or if the 76ers can recreate this level of defensive resistance at home, the pressure shifts fast. That’s the catch. (nba.com) ### So what changes going to Game 3? Philadelphia(nba.com)y is different — don’t assume late-shot creation will bail out every shaky stretch. The Knicks earned control of the series, but they also got a warning label attached to it. A 2-0 lead is real. So is a game that changed hands 25 times. (nba.com) The bottom line is that New York protected home court, Brunson delivered when the game g(nba.com)s out the 76ers still have a way to make this messy. (nba.com)