Knicks host Sixers Game 1 tonight

The NBA’s second round starts in New York on Monday, May 4, and this one has real weight. The Knicks are back at Madison Square Garden for Game 1 against the 76ers, with tipoff set for 8 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock. New York got here by beating Atlanta in six. Philadelphia got here the harder way — coming back from a 3-1 hole against Boston and finishing it with a 109-100 Game 7 win on Saturday. (nba.com) ### Why is this series getting so much attention? Because it looks like the East’s cleanest heavyweight matchup. New York is the higher seed and has home court, but Philadelphia comes in hot after surviving a brutal first round. That combo matters — one team is rested and settled, the other is battle-tested and confident. (nba.com)e 1 is Monday, May 4, in New York. Game 2 stays at the Garden on Wednesday, May 6. Then the series shifts to Philadelphia for Games 3 and 4 on Friday, May 8, and Sunday, May 10. If it goes long, Game 5 would be back in New York on May 12, Game 6 in Philadelphia on May 14, and Game 7 at the Garden on May 17. (nba.com)e quick turnaround matter? Philadelphia just played its Game 7 on Saturday night. That means barely any reset before opening a road series on Monday. The Sixers can ride momentum, but the catch is fatigue — physical and mental. New York has the cleaner runway after closing out Atlanta earlier, and in May that extra breath can show up in rebound(nba.com)e from the schedule, not a formal injury report. (nba.com) ### What’s the matchup everyone will watch? It starts with Jalen Brunson on one side and Joel Embiid on the other — then expands from there. Philadelphia’s own read of the Knicks is pretty telling: Brunson is “obviously a big problem,” and New York’s size and rebounding are, too. That points to the basic tension of the series. The Sixers have top-end shot cre(nba.com) the ability to make every possession feel crowded. (nbcphiladelphia.com) ### Did these teams see enough of each other already? Yes, and the weird part is that neither team protected home court in the regular season split. NBC Philadelphia notes the teams split 2-2, and Philadelphia won twice at Madison Square Garden. That does not predict the series by itself, but it(nbcphiladelphia.com)le in that building. (nbcphiladelphia.com) ### Why does home court still matter then? Because playoff home court is bigger than one regular-season trend. New York opens with two straight games at home, and if the series reaches a seventh game, that one is also at the Garden. Madison Square Garden is also clearly treating this like a majo(nbcphiladelphia.com)len games there before. (msg.com) ### So what decides Game 1? Probably the simplest things. Can New York control the glass and keep Embiid from owning the game at the foul line and in the paint? Can Philadelphia generate enough offense if the Knicks turn this into a slower half-court fight? Early second-round games often look messy, and the team (msg.com)e off a Game 7. (nbcphiladelphia.com) ### Bottom line This opener is not just another playoff game. It’s a stress test for two different paths — New York’s steadier climb and Philadelphia’s survive-anything burst. By Monday night, May 4, one of them gets the first real claim on the East semifinal.