The New York Knicks won 50 games and are officially the second seed in the Eastern Conference. Sadly, there’s no time to celebrate. They open the playoffs on Saturday at home against the Philadelphia 76ers — one of the most talented sefven-seeds in recent memory. And while New York has its own philosophy and X-factors to rely on, they must not overlook any of the 76ers positive attributes.
Sure, the Sixers looked rusty (and not entirely healthy) in their play-in win over the Miami Heat on Wednesday, but the Knicks can’t afford to let their guard down. With that in mind, let’s identify three things the Knicks must look to stop in order to ensure a first-round win over Philadelphia.
Don’t let Joel Embiid beat you
Embiid is realistically the biggest focal point for the Knicks, literally and figurative. The reigning MVP is an absolute beast on both ends of the floor. He averaged 30.4 points and 9.2 rebounds in the five games he played to close the season, which came after returning from a knee procedure. Think about that—the man missed time to undergo a knee procedure and came back to nearly average a 30 point double-double. That’s something.
The Knicks must limit Embiid’s impact. The 7'2 center racked up 23 points and 15 rebounds over 38 minutes in the 76ers’ play-in victory on April 17th. But he was clearly limited athletically and winded physically after only returning from an MCL injury in early April, and his status for the series opener against New York remains unclear.
Regardless, the Knicks must limit Embiid’s impact. They have three centers to throw at him (Isaiah Hartenstein, Mitchell Robinson and Precious Achiuwa), and they’ll need those available 18 fouls to keep Embiid off balance and out of rhythm. They’ll have to be physical with him and limit his open catch-and-shoot opportunities. Ultimately, New York needs to make Embiid earn every point and rebound he collects.
Limit free throw attempts
This one seems fairly obvious, right? Don’t foul too much and definitely don’t foul shooters. But Philadelphia ranked first in free throws made and fourth in free throw attempts in the entire NBA this season. So, limiting their free throw attempts is easier said than done.
Still, this is a key for the Knicks. Philadelphia averaged 19.5 points per game on made free throws. Fortunately, New York commits the fourth-fewest fouls per game. So, this is a bit of an “unstoppable force meets an immovable object” type of moment. Whoever flinches first will have an uphill battle ahead of itself.
Mitigate turnovers
Another area the Knicks will have to remain cognizant of is turnovers. Why? The 76ers led the league in steals per game (8.5 per game), meaning their defense actively generates turnovers. The Knicks are pretty average in terms of turnovers, committing 13.2 per game (16th in the NBA), while Philadelphia is are a middle-of-the-pack team as far as capitalizing on turnovers (15th in the NBA).
But this is another area in which the Knicks should look to limit the Sixers' momentum. If they don’t, they could dig themselves into a relatively deep hole.
Ultimately, teams look to bend but not break, especially in the playoffs, and any specific area or statistical category can make or break a team’s success. But New York should be in good shape if they keep Embiid from single-handedly beating them, limit the 76ers points from the charity stripe, and protect the basketball. Simple as can be, right?
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