Knicks rout 76ers, complete 4-0 sweep

The Knicks didn’t just eliminate the 76ers. They detonated the series on the way out. Game 4 ended 144-114 in Philadelphia on May 10, and the score almost undersells how sharp New York looked. The Knicks hit 25 threes, tying the NBA playoff record, and they buried 11 of them in the first quarter alone — a new postseason record for any opening quarter. That kind of shooting turns a closeout game into a message, and the message was simple: this team looks deeper, cleaner, and more dangerous than it did a week ago. (nba.com) ### Why was this such a big statement? Closeout games are usually ugly. Legs get heavy, the trailing team gets desperate, and everything slows down. New York did the opposite. The Knicks played fast, moved the ball, and kept generating clean catch-and-shoot looks until the whole thing felt unfair. By halftime they had already made 18 threes, and the Sixers were chasing a game that was basically gone. ### Who set the tone? Miles “Deuce” McBride was the spark. (nba.com) He started for injured OG Anunoby, scored 25 points, and hit 7 of 9 from deep. Four of those threes came in the first quarter, right when New York blew the game open. That matters because this wasn’t just Jalen Brunson bailing everybody out again. It was a depth piece stepping into a huge game and making the offense even louder. (nba.com) ### What about Brunson and the stars? Brunson didn’t need a superhero night. He finished with 22 points, while Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns added 17 each in the AP recap carried on NBA.com. That’s part of what makes this version of the Knicks scary — the offense no longer depends on one guy creating every hard shot late in the clock. When Brunson can steer instead of rescue, New York gets a lot harder to guard. ### Why did Philadelphia have no answer? (usatoday.com) Because the math got brutal fast. The Sixers were already dealing with a Knicks team that had been crushing people early in these playoffs, and then New York turned every defensive mistake into three points. Once the Knicks spread the floor and kept the ball hopping, Philadelphia was stuck choosing between helping on drives and giving up open looks. It ended up giving up both. ### Is this just one hot shooting night? (nba.com) Not really — that’s the important part. The Knicks have now won seven straight playoff games and returned to the Eastern Conference finals for the second straight season. NBA.com also noted they now wait for the winner of the Cavaliers-Pistons series, which means they get both momentum and rest. Hot shooting can swing one night, but repeated blowouts across two rounds usually mean something sturdier is happening. (nba.com) ### So what changed with this team? The offense looks less cramped and more trust-based. New York is getting star scoring, but it’s also getting role-player shotmaking and quick decisions. Basically, the Knicks are no longer winning like a team surviving every possession. They’re winning like a team that knows exactly where its next good shot is coming from. That’s a very different playoff profile. ### What’s the bottom line? The sweep matters, but the manner of it matters more. (nba.com) New York didn’t just advance. The Knicks walked into Philadelphia, tied a playoff record from three, and made the East finals look like the next step instead of the ceiling. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2)