The New York Knicks are set to take on the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, with Game 1 of the series taking place on Saturday, and center Isaiah Hartenstein spoke about what he expects from Joel Embiid from a strategic standpoint.

“He's going to seek fouls, so that's the main thing,” Isaiah Hartenstein said, via Knicks Videos on X. “Through fouls, he'll get his little breaks, easy free throws, so that's the main focus is not letting him to the line and going from there.”

Hartenstein indicated that Joel Embiid will be trying to draw fouls to give himself breaks to stay in the game. Embiid recently returned from injury, and did not look as if he was 100% during the 76ers' play-in game against the Miami Heat on Wednesday. The Knicks are a physical team with good defenders like Hartenstein and OG Anunoby, so it will be interesting to see how Embiid fares in a long series.

Did Isaiah Hartenstein take a jab at Joel Embiid?

Hartenstein's comments could be taken as a jab, and likely will be, but he made it clear that he thinks this is a smart strategy for Embiid when he was asked how he can counteract it.

“Keep your hands back, knowing at the end of the day he's the MVP, so he's going to get some calls that maybe don't go in your favor,” Hartenstein said, via Knicks Videos on X. “But at the end of the day it's really just doing your job, playing team defense, and don't really put your hands in because he's gonna try to get it in. But also, it's smart from him. I mean why not use it? I'm not saying it's bad. If he's smart enough to do it, and we keep doing it, that's on us.”

It will be interesting to see what the Knicks do strategy wise when it comes to guarding Embiid. Will they go one-on-one with Hartenstein or OG Anunoby and live with the results while trying to shut down other options, or will they double him? The Heat presented different looks on Wednesday, starting the game by essentially not guarding Embiid at the perimeter, but then doubling him at the end.

Although Embiid was visually not moving like he usually does when healthy, he did find success, especially in the fourth quarter by finding open teammates when he was doubled by Miami. Embiid finished the game with 23 points and 15 rebounds, while dishing out five assists.

This is not the typical No. 2 vs No. 7 seed matchup that you see in the playoffs. It should be a very competitive series between two good teams. The Knicks dealt with their injuries to Julius Randle and Anunoby. Randle will not return, but Anunoby is back in the fold and is going to be a huge presence on defense. He could be a huge key in wearing down Embiid as the series goes along.

The 76ers dealt with Embiid's absence, which was the main reason they dropped to the play-in in the first place. However, they have been great since Embiid made his return, and present a threat to the No. 2 seed Knicks.

This will be one of the more intriguing first round series in this year's playoffs.