Knicks complete 4-0 sweep of 76ers, drilling 25 threes in 144-114 Game 4

The Knicks didn’t just beat the 76ers in Game 4. They detonated the series. New York won 144-114 on Sunday, finished off a 4-0 sweep in Philadelphia, and punched its ticket back to the Eastern Conference finals for the second straight year. The score was ugly. The shooting was even uglier for the Sixers. New York tied the NBA playoff record with 25 made 3-pointers and basically turned a closeout game into target practice. ### Why did this one feel over so fast? Because the Knicks came out bombing. They hit 11 threes in the first quarter — a postseason record for any opening quarter — and got to 18 by halftime, tying the playoff mark for a half. That’s the kind of shotmaking that breaks a defense before the game even settles in. Philadelphia never really recovered from the opening avalanche. (usnews.com) ### Who set the tone? Miles “Deuce” McBride did. He started for the injured OG Anunoby and turned that opportunity into a blowtorch performance — 25 points, seven made threes, and a huge chunk of the early damage. Jalen Brunson added 22, while Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns scored 17 each. The key thing is that this wasn’t one star dragging the Knicks through. It was wave after wave. (newsday.com) ### Was it just hot shooting? Mostly, yes — but not in the fluky sense. The Knicks generated clean looks, moved the ball, and played with the kind of spacing that makes a defense choose the wrong poison every trip. When a team goes 25-for-44 from deep, there’s obviously some heater involved. But you don’t get to that volume in a playoff closeout without structure underneath it. (usatoday.com) ### How dominant has this run been? Pretty absurd. NBA.com noted that New York’s 19.4-point average margin of victory through two rounds is the largest for any team since the playoffs expanded to 16 teams in 1984. That tells you this wasn’t a survive-and-advance run. The Knicks have been flattening teams. Game 4 also set a franchise playoff record for points in a game, which fits the larger picture — this group isn’t just winning, it’s scaling up under pressure. (hip-hopvibe.com) ### What does this say about the Knicks? That this version is deeper and less fragile than older Knicks playoff teams. Brunson is still the engine, but New York didn’t need a superhero act to close the series. McBride stepped in. Hart did the connective stuff. Towns gave them another scoring big body. That balance matters more in May, when every defense is built to take away your first option. (nba.com) ### And what about Philadelphia? This is where it gets uncomfortable. The 76ers were at home, facing elimination, and got run off the floor. A roster with Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey wasn’t supposed to go out like this, let alone get swept in the second round. One bad game happens. Four straight losses, ending in a 30-point home collapse, feels more like an indictment. (nba.com) ### So what’s the real takeaway? The Knicks look like a team that knows exactly what it is. That sounds simple, but it’s rare this late in the playoffs. They have a star, they have shooting, they have role players who stay in character, and right now they have real momentum. Philadelphia spent this series looking for answers. New York looked like it already had them. (usnews.com) (nba.com)