Knicks sweep 76ers 144-114 in Philly

The Knicks didn’t just eliminate the 76ers. They turned a second-round closeout game in Philadelphia into a public humiliation. New York won 144-114 on Sunday, May 10, finished the series 4-0, and got back to the Eastern Conference finals for the second straight year. The score was ugly enough. The way it happened — raining threes, a half-filled building of Knicks fans, and a Sixers team that never looked close — made it feel worse. ### Why did this game feel so lopsided? Because New York basically broke the game in one half. The Knicks hit 18 threes before halftime and scored 74 points by the break, which left Philadelphia chasing a math problem it couldn’t solve. By the end, New York had tied the NBA playoff record with 25 made threes. That’s not just hot shooting — that’s the kind of shot-making that removes drama from a playoff game. (abcnews.com) ### Who drove the blowout? Jalen Brunson was the headliner again, finishing with 35 points, and Deuce McBride was the surprise dagger. McBride started for the injured OG Anunoby, hit seven threes, and scored 25. Josh Hart, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Mikal Bridges all added to the pile-on. The important part wasn’t one superstar takeover. It was that New York got big scoring from everywhere, which is exactly what makes this version of the Knicks harder to scheme against. (abcnews.com) ### Why does McBride matter so much here? Because this is what depth looks like when it actually cashes in. Anunoby being out could have been the thing that gave Philadelphia a little life. Instead, McBride stepped into the opening lineup and made the floor even wider. When a reserve can drop 25 in a closeout game and bury seven threes, the opponent’s margin for error disappears. Philadelphia needed one weak link to attack. New York didn’t give them one. (abcnews.com) ### What was going on with the crowd? Turns out the embarrassment wasn’t limited to the scoreboard. Multiple game accounts described the building as heavily tilted toward Knicks fans, loud enough that the road team seemed to have the emotional edge too. That matters because playoff home court is supposed to be a pressure valve for the team in trouble. Instead, Philadelphia got eliminated in a building that sounded like neutral ground at best and a Knicks annex at worst. (abcnews.com) ### What does this say about the Knicks? It says they’re not sneaking anywhere. This is back-to-back trips to the East finals, and this one came with a sweep — the franchise’s first in a best-of-seven series since 1999. Last year’s run could be framed as a breakthrough. This year starts to look more like establishment. New York now waits for the winner of Cleveland-Detroit, with the conference finals set to begin May 17 or May 19 depending on that series. (abcnews.com) ### Why is this so rough for Philadelphia? Because it reopens the same big questions. A second-round exit is one thing. A four-game wipeout at home is another. The Sixers now head into the offseason with the usual uncertainty about how real this core is, how much patience remains, and what kind of changes are on the table. When your season ends with the other team bombing in 25 threes and your own arena sounding hostile, it’s hard to sell continuity as the obvious answer. (nba.com) ### So what’s the bottom line? The Knicks looked deeper, cleaner, and more certain of themselves than Philadelphia from the opening tip to the handshake line. That’s the story. New York didn’t just advance — it announced that last year wasn’t a one-off. Philly, meanwhile, is back in the place it hates most: another summer spent explaining why the ceiling still hasn’t arrived. (abcnews.com)