Knicks sweep 76ers, reach ECF
- New York finished the sweep Sunday, beating Philadelphia 144-114 in Game 4 and sending the Knicks back to the Eastern Conference finals. - The loudest number was 25 — New York hit a franchise playoff record in threes and matched the most ever made in an NBA playoff game. - It sends the Knicks to a second straight ECF under new coach Mike Brown, with Cleveland and Detroit still deciding the opponent.
The Knicks didn’t just eliminate the 76ers — they detonated the series on the way out. New York won Game 4 in Philadelphia, 144-114, finished a 4-0 sweep, and punched its ticket back to the Eastern Conference finals. The score was one thing. The way it happened was the bigger message. The Knicks rained in 25 threes, tied the NBA playoff record for a single game, and turned what should have been a desperate home stand for Philly into target practice. ### Was this close at any point? Not really. Game 4 was described as a laugher from the opening tip, and that fits the numbers. New York scored 144 points, won by 30, and never let Philadelphia build the kind of emotional swing a team down 3-0 needs. This wasn’t a late pull-away. It was control, then separation, then a full avalanche from deep. ### Why do the 25 threes matter so much? (nba.com) Because that number changes the feel of the whole series. Twenty-five made threes set a Knicks franchise playoff mark and equaled the most any team has ever hit in a playoff game. That’s not just “they shot well.” That’s one of those totals that makes a defense look structurally broken. If a team gets that hot and still generates clean looks, the opponent usually isn’t just losing — it’s out of answers. (nba.com) ### Was the whole series this lopsided? Basically, yes. New York won Game 1 by 39, took Game 2 by 6, grabbed Game 3 by 14, and then ended it with the 30-point Game 4 rout. The series averages tell the same story — the Knicks put up 124.3 points per game to Philadelphia’s 102.0. That is sweep-level dominance on both ends, not a fluky four-game run decided by one hot night. (nba.com) ### Who drove it for New York? Jalen Brunson was the clearest constant. He averaged 29.0 points and 6.0 assists across the series, which is basically the profile of a guy steering every important possession without needing the ball to stick. But the bigger point is that New York didn’t look like a one-man operation. The offense kept flowing, the spacing held, and the defense kept swarming. That balance is a big reason the sweep happened so fast. (nba.com) ### Why is this bigger than one playoff round? Because the Knicks are back in the conference finals for the second straight season, but the path looks different now. Last year they got there and then lost to Indiana. After that, they fired Tom Thibodeau and brought in Mike Brown. Brown now has New York on a seven-game playoff winning streak, starting with the end of the Atlanta series and rolling straight through Philadelphia. (nba.com) That makes this feel less like a repeat cameo and more like a team trying to stay at this level. ### So who do they get next? The Knicks will face the winner of Cleveland-Detroit. As of Sunday, the Pistons led that series 2-1, so New York gets a little time to rest while the other side keeps working. That matters. Sweeps don’t just advance you — they buy recovery, prep time, and a chance to let the bracket come to you. ### What’s the real takeaway here? The takeaway isn’t just that New York advanced. (nba.com) It’s that the Knicks looked overwhelming doing it. A team that can defend, spread the floor, and drop 25 threes in a closeout game is not sneaking into the Eastern Conference finals. It’s arriving there like it expects to stay. (nba.com)
