Knicks complete series sweep of 76ers, rout Philadelphia 144-114 with 25 threes

The Knicks didn’t just eliminate the 76ers. They detonated the series. New York beat Philadelphia 144-114 on Sunday, May 10, to finish a 4-0 second-round sweep and punch its ticket back to the Eastern Conference finals. The score was huge, but the real story was how it happened — the Knicks tied the NBA playoff record with 25 made threes, turned the opening quarter into target practice, and basically removed any suspense before the game had a chance to breathe. ### Why did this get out of hand so fast? Because the Knicks came out shooting like a team that wanted the series over immediately. They hit 11 threes in the first quarter alone, which tied a playoff record, and built a 20-6 lead while Philadelphia was still trying to settle in. By halftime, New York had made 18 threes — another playoff record-tying mark for a half — and led 81-57. (abcnews.com) ### Who swung the game? Miles McBride was the jolt. He started again with OG Anunoby out because of a hamstring injury, and he made the opening avalanche feel personal. McBride hit his first four threes in the first quarter, became the first Knick since play-by-play tracking began in 1997 to make four threes in the first quarter of a playoff game, and finished with a game-high 25 points on 7-of-9 shooting from deep. (abcnews.com) ### Was it just McBride? Not even close. Jalen Brunson scored 22 and made 6 of 10 from three. Josh Hart added 17 points and 9 rebounds. Karl-Anthony Towns scored 17. Landry Shamet chipped in 12 off the bench and also hit four threes. That’s the part that makes this scary for whoever gets New York next — the Knicks didn’t need one guy to go nuclear. They had wave after wave. (abcnews.com) ### How good was the shooting, really? Absurd. New York went 25 of 44 from three, or 56.8%. Philadelphia went 8 of 35, or 23%. That gap alone breaks a game open, but the Knicks also won the glass 47-30. So this wasn’t some flimsy hot-shooting fluke where everything else was even. They bombed away and controlled the rest of the game too. (abcnews.com) ### What about the Sixers? Joel Embiid scored 24 and, weirdly, was hyper-efficient from the field, but it barely mattered because the math got ugly everywhere else. When one team is making 25 threes and the other can’t generate stops or match the volume, even a solid star scoring line starts to feel cosmetic. Philadelphia never really recovered once the Knicks opened that first-quarter gap. (sports.yahoo.com) ### Why does this matter beyond one blowout? Because New York is back in the Eastern Conference finals for the second straight year, and it got there looking more complete than the final score alone suggests. The Knicks have now won seven straight playoff games, counting the close of the Atlanta series and this sweep, and their margin through two rounds has been massive. That points to a team that isn’t just surviving the bracket — it’s controlling it. (sports.yahoo.com) ### So who’s next? The Knicks will face the winner of Cleveland-Detroit in the East finals. As of the NBA playoff bracket on May 11, the Pistons lead that series 2-1. That matchup will matter, but New York’s bigger message was already sent Sunday — if the threes are falling and the defense is swarming, this team can end a series before the other side even adjusts. (abcnews.com) ### Bottom line? This was a closeout game that looked like a statement game. The Knicks didn’t just advance. They made Philadelphia look helpless, tied a playoff three-point record, set a franchise playoff scoring high with 144 points, and walked into the conference finals with real momentum. (sports.yahoo.com) (abcnews.com)