Knicks complete four‑game sweep of 76ers, advance to Eastern Conference semifinals

The Knicks didn’t just close out Philadelphia — they blew the doors off the series. New York beat the 76ers 144-114 on Sunday, May 10, to finish a 4-0 sweep in the East semifinals and punch its ticket back to the Eastern Conference finals. The bigger story is how it happened. This wasn’t a grind-it-out Knicks win. It was a shooting avalanche, a depth game, and another sign that this team looks more dangerous now than it did a week ago. ### Why was this such a statement win? Because closeout games are usually messy, and this one wasn’t. New York led wire to wire, hit 25 threes, and turned what should have been a tense road game into target practice. That tied the NBA playoff record for made threes in a game and set a franchise postseason mark at the same time — basically the exact opposite of the bruising, low-margin identity people still attach to the Knicks. (nba.com) ### Who swung the game? Miles McBride was the surprise headline. He started because OG Anunoby was out, then drilled seven 3-pointers and scored 25 points. Jalen Brunson added 22, while Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns each scored 17. That matters because it shows New York didn’t need one superhero night. The Knicks got a spread-the-floor, everybody-eats version of the win. (nba.com) ### Why does McBride matter so much here? Because playoff series usually break when the replacement minutes collapse. McBride gave the Knicks the opposite. He didn’t just hold the spot — he stretched Philadelphia’s defense until the whole thing bent out of shape. When a bench guard can step into a starter’s role and bomb away like that, the rotation gets a lot harder to game-plan against. (nba.com) ### Was this series really that one-sided? Yes — and the numbers are getting silly. NBA.com noted the Knicks’ 19.4-point average margin of victory through two rounds is the largest for any team this deep in the playoffs since the 16-team format began in 1984. New York has now won seven straight playoff games. So this isn’t just “they advanced.” It’s “they are flattening people.” (nba.com) ### What happened to Philadelphia? The short version is that the Sixers never found a stable answer on either end. They lost the first three games, then got buried in Game 4 by New York’s spacing and pace. By the end, the series felt less like a rivalry and more like a roster stress test that Philadelphia kept failing — especially once the Knicks’ shooters got comfortable. (nba.com) ### So are the Knicks now a real East favorite? They look like one. New York has reached the Eastern Conference finals for the second straight season, and this run feels more forceful because the offense has climbed to match the defense. The Knicks are still waiting for the winner of Cavaliers-Pistons, but whoever comes through gets a team that is defending hard, shooting at volume, and getting useful production well beyond Brunson. (cbssports.com) ### What’s the real takeaway? The Knicks didn’t survive this round. They upgraded in it. A team that used to feel dependent on toughness and late-game shotmaking suddenly looks comfortable winning by scheme, spacing, and depth too. That’s why the sweep matters — it didn’t just move New York forward, it changed the shape of the threat. (nba.com)