Knicks complete East‑semifinal sweep of 76ers, drilling 25 threes in 144–114 Game 4

The Knicks didn’t just eliminate the 76ers. They detonated the series. New York beat Philadelphia 144-114 on Sunday, finished the sweep 4-0, and walked into the Eastern Conference finals looking less like a nice story and more like the team nobody in the East wants to see. The headline number was 25 made threes, which tied the NBA playoff record. But the bigger point is simpler — this game was over almost as soon as it started. ### How fast did this get out of hand? Basically immediately. New York hit 11 threes in the first quarter, which set a postseason play-by-play-era mark for a first quarter, and built a double-digit lead before Philadelphia could settle in. By halftime, the Knicks had 81 points and 18 made threes, tying the playoff record for threes in a half. That’s not “got hot late.” That’s a game plan landing flush from the opening minutes. (nba.com) ### Who actually drove it? Deuce McBride was the surprise hammer. He started for the injured OG Anunoby, hit seven threes, and scored 25 points. Jalen Brunson had 22 points and six assists, including six made threes of his own. Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns scored 17 each. The catch for Philadelphia was that this wasn’t one star cooking in isolation — it was wave after wave, with the Knicks piling up 33 assists on 49 made baskets. (nbcsports.com) ### Why do the 25 threes matter so much? Because they tell you what kind of version of the Knicks just showed up. A team that can defend, rebound, and grind is dangerous. A team that can do all that and also turn a road playoff game into a three-point shooting exhibition is something else. New York didn’t just hit a lot of jumpers — it generated clean ones, early ones, and confident ones. When a team starts 9-of-10 from deep, the whole floor bends. (nbcnewyork.com) Philadelphia spent the rest of the night chasing smoke. ### Was this just one hot night? Not really. The sweep itself says otherwise. New York won the series by an average of 22.3 points, 124.3 to 102.0, and the Knicks have now won seven straight playoff games. One outlet pegged the current streak’s average margin at 26.4 points. So yes, 25 threes is an outlier. But the dominance around it isn’t. ### What does this say about Brunson? (nbcsports.com) That he’s become the center of a machine, not just a scorer. Brunson averaged 29.0 points and 6.0 assists in the series, and even in a blowout he still bent the game toward New York’s pace and spacing. The Knicks don’t need him to score 40 every night. They need him to organize everything, punish mistakes, and make the right read before the defense can reset. Right now, he’s doing all of it. (nba.com) ### What about the 76ers? This is where it gets ugly. Joel Embiid scored 24 in Game 4 and Tyrese Maxey had 17, but Philadelphia never made this feel like a real fight. The 76ers are now 25 years removed from their last trip past the second round, and the roster questions aren’t small ones. Embiid and Paul George are tied to huge money, while Maxey looks more and more like the player the future has to orbit. (nba.com) ### So what changed in the East? The Knicks stopped being a team that merely survived and turned into one that overwhelms. They’re back in the Eastern Conference finals for the second straight season, but this version looks sharper and more complete. The offense is humming, the defense is swarming, and the role players aren’t just holding up — they’re breaking games open. ### Bottom line (nbcsports.com) A sweep is one thing. A 30-point road closeout with 25 threes is a warning shot. The Knicks didn’t just advance — they announced that the East may have to go through them now. (nba.com)