Knicks 104, 76ers 101: Can’t stop, won’t stop

Holy @#$% what a win!!!

What a night.

The Knicks played host again to the division rival Philadelphia 76ers for Game 2 of the NBA Playoffs. After a dicey Game 1 victory the Knicks looked to take care of business and maintain home court advantage, but the 76ers had other plans. With under a minute left, the Knicks trailed by five points and saw a Jalen Brunson 3-pointer hit the front of the rim. What happened next? Only one of the most magical minutes of basketball in the history of the franchise.

An instant classic

Before we relive the end, let’s first detail how the two teams got to that point.

The 76ers once again came out scorching. Tyrese Maxey, a blur in basketball shoes, hit three early 3-pointers while his running mate and reigning MVP Joel Embiid dominated despite operating at well below 100%. Fortunately for Knicks fans, New York had a bit of dominance on their side. Unsurprisingly, I’m talking about . . . Josh Hart?

A key contributor late in the Game 1 win after hitting three 3-pointers of his own in the fourth quarter, Hart was excellent yet again. Despite his hot shooting in Game 1, Sixers coach Nick Nurse remained headstrong with his defensive scheme that seeks to aggressively take away 3-point opportunities for Donte DiVincenzo and OG Anunoby — as well as seemingly any potential airspace for Brunson — by helping off of Hart at any moment. 

However, Hart wasn’t just shooting 3-pointers with confidence (he hit four more last night). He mixed in 15 rebounds (11 defensive), three assists, two steals and two blocks. The defensive rebounds and steals are especially huge for a Knicks offense struggling in the halfcourt, as nobody single-handedly inspires transition offense like Hart. He wasn’t the only contributor, though.

Once again Isaiah Hartenstein and Mitchell Robinson battled on both ends, combining for seven offensive rebounds while holding Embiid to 12-of-29 from the floor. DiVincenzo bounced back, matching Hart with four 3-pointers, three assists and two steals. Deuce McBride continued to show that this moment isn’t too big for him, guarding Maxey to the best of his ability while hitting a few timely buckets. Lastly, Bojan Bogdanović, who struggled mightily in the first half, hit two enormous shots in the fourth to keep the Knicks in the ballgame.

All of this added up to another close contest. And when Brunson hit the front of the rim down 101-96 with under 30 seconds left, I’m sure most Knick fans were mourning a game that got away. But then fate intervened. Brunson’s ball hopped off the rim and into the basket, then he and Hart hounded Maxey on the baseline as he tried to spring free for the inbounds. Maxey fell and lost the ball, which found its way in DiVincenzo’s hands. He missed an open 3-pointer, but Hartenstein, as he is known to do, beat three different 76ers to the ball and fumbled it out to Anunoby, who swung it back to DiVincenzo open at the top of the arc. DiVincenzo nailed it.

After one final stop — a brilliant Hartenstein block on Maxey — the most exciting Knicks’ playoff game of the century was over with the victors taking a commanding 2-0 lead.

Looking ahead to Game 3

If you read these recaps regularly, you know I am nothing if not a macro thinker. So what do the Knicks have in store for when the series shifts to Philadelphia Thursday night?

For starters, something needs to be done about Brunson, 16-of-55 from the field in the series. If the final minutes of last night’s game are any indication, Hart’s hot shooting is not swaying Nurse’s mind at all. He is determined to make Hart beat them; with 30 seconds left, it looked like it’d worked. Perhaps the SIxers doesn’t have enough to beat the Knicks in this series, but they’re certainly laying some breadcrumbs for a team that does, showing potential opponents how to make Brunson’s life hell as he seeks openings and paths to the basket.

I’d expect come Thursday the 76ers will stick to a similar defensive base scheme. Of course if Hart continues shooting like he is now, that scheme is sort of moot. Still, it does beg the question as to whether the Knicks should start preparing to showcase a different look every once in a while. Even up 2-0, is it possible the Knicks are playing into the 76ers’ hands? They’re not letting anybody in a blue-and-orange uniform establish much of a rhythm. Could opening up the court a little bit create some breathing room for players currently being asked to create offense in a phonebooth? And how much would our opinions on this matter differ had a few bounces gone in different directions in Games 1 or 2?

Speaking of rhythm, the Knicks have allowed Maxey to start both games in rhythm by taping their best guard defender to the bench for meaningful minutes at the start of each half. Is it possible Tom Thibodeau fudges McBride’s rotation so he shares the court with Maxey more? Not only would this optimize the Knicks’ coverage on Maxey, it’d slide Anunoby to a role far more correlatory with his peak defensive impact. Regardless, if these first two games are any indicator, this series is far from over and the stress has just begun.                                                                                               

The Boxer

In 1970, Simon and Garfunkel released an all-time classic of a song, “The Boxer.” Written by Paul Simon, it tells a first-person story about a man struggling in New York City. He feels lonely and despondent as he takes hit after hit. As many reading this likely know, New York can take its toll on a person. Simon captures how professional struggles can compound and affect one personally. How you can be surrounded by millions of people but still feel completely isolated. In one of the final verses, he switches perspectives, writing from the third-person:

In the clearing stands a boxer

And a fighter by his trade

And he carries the reminders

Of every glove that laid him down

Or cut him till he cried out

In his anger and his shame

“I am leaving, I am leaving"

But the fighter still remains

The Knicks won their first championship the same year “The Boxer” was released. They won their most recent three years later. They drafted Patrick Ewing in 1985, who helped them come close a couple of times in 1994 and 1999. Since the 2000 playoffs, they’ve won just two playoff series. Shockingly, they’ve had more losing seasons that resulted in zero first round picks than playoff series victories in that time.

To be a Knicks fan is to be a fighter. We’ve been through fire and brimstone to get to this exact moment. Every one of us carries the reminders of each hit we’ve taken as a fan of this God-forsaken franchise, to the point that it wouldn’t surprise me if a vast majority had at one time or another reached a temporary crossroad, testing their loyalty. Yet here we stand, even after being endlessly tested, battered, bruised and scarred emotionally. 

But if you re-watch the final minutes of last night’s game, you won’t hear desperation or even nervous energy. All you’ll hear is the jubilance and passion of a fanbase who’ve waited decades for a time like this. A time when they can put their faith in a front office to consistently make competent decisions. A time when they know their head coach will show up each night with his team prepared to battle, regardless of the opponent. And a time when they can feel confident that the pride they take in rooting for their team is only rivaled by the pride the players they root for take in wearing the jersey. This franchise has done its absolute best to wear its fans down, but we’re still here in bunches. Like this version of the team we love, the fighter still remains.