What is the story about?
It was a Mother’s Day Massacre in Xfinity Mobile Arena (otherwise known as MSG East South), as the Knicks pulverized a hapless Sixers team to finish off a four-game sweep and make a second consecutive Eastern Conference Finals run.
There’s a lot to analyze, but there will be no analysis in this article. Just sheer numbers, records, and history.
Enjoy.
The Sweep
- The Knicks won their seventh consecutive playoff game on Sunday. It’s the first time in franchise history they’ve done so, surpassing a six-game streak in 1999.
- The Knicks pulled off a postseason sweep for the first time since the first round of the 2000 playoffs, when they swept the Toronto Raptors in a best-of-five. It’s the first best-of-seven sweep since the second round in 1999 against the Atlanta Hawks.
- It’s the first time the Philadelphia 76ers have been swept since getting smacked by the Celtics in the first round of the 2020 bubble. It’s the first time they’ve been swept otherwise since the Pacers romped them in the second round back in 1999.
- That’s a lot of 1999 references. Did you know that’s also the last time the Knicks made the NBA Finals?
The Point Differential and Margin
- The Knicks outscored the Sixers by 89 points across four games. It’s the third most lopsided non-first-round series in NBA history
(Note: It was very close to being No. 1. The Knicks led by 42 early in the fourth before the benchwarmers let go of the rope. That margin would’ve tied the record.) - Through two rounds, the Knicks have an average point differential of +19.4. That’s an NBA record.
- Through 10 playoff games, the Knicks have a +194 point differential, best in NBA history. The closest? The 2017 Warriors at +170.
- During this seven-game winning streak, the average margin of victory is a staggering 26.4 points.
- The Knicks have won nine playoff games in their history by at least 29 points. Four of them are in the last two weeks, including the top two.
- Game 1 was the second-worst loss in Sixers’ playoff history (40, Game 1 of 1982 ECF vs BOS). Game 4 was No. 12 and should’ve been a lot worse.
(Note: They lost by at least 30 points four different times in the playoffs. Unfortunately for them, they couldn’t count on Mazzulla ball this time.) - The Sixers won a playoff series and ended up with a baffling -109 point differential across 11 playoff games.
- The point differential in the previous two sweeps in Sixers’ playoff history was -68… combined.
Game 4 History
- The Knicks tied the NBA record for most threes made in a quarter (11), half (18), and game (25). All three records tied the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers. If only the benchwarmers chucked up more threes late…
- Those 25 threes are also a single-game franchise record in general, finally surpassing the 24 3PM the Knicks had against Orlando on October 22, 2021.
- The Knicks scored 144 points, a franchise playoff record. 18th most in NBA history.
- There have only been three first halves in playoff history where the road team has put up 80 points. The Knicks have two of them in the last 11 days.
- It’s the second worst elimination game loss for the Sixers in franchise history, only exceeded by a 33-point loss at the hands of Boston in the first round in 2002.
- Deuce McBride became the fourth Knick in franchise history to knock down seven threes in a playoff game, joining Derek Harper (Game 4, 1995 1st Round), John Starks (Game 3, 1995 2nd Round), and Donte DiVincenzo, who did it twice in the 2024 2nd Round, including an NBA Game 7 record nine threes.
- He did so in 29 minutes, by far the least of any player there. Only he and Jalen Brunson (who hit six in 28 minutes) have hit at least six threes in under 30 minutes of a playoff game.
Series Stats
- Jalen Brunson averaged 29 points and six assists on 51.3/44.8/91.3 in just 34.5 minutes a night. Some say he’s not even a top-three player in the series.
- Karl-Anthony Towns averaged 23 minutes a game in this series. He still averaged 15.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 7.5 assists on 61.8% from the field and 54.5% from deep.
- Towns has 59 assists in this playoff run already. He had 24 in last year’s playoff run… in eight more games.
- Shoutout Mikal Bridges. After a horrible start to the postseason, he’s averaging 18.8 points a night since Game 6 of the Hawks, on a blistering 67.8% from the field and 46.7% from deep while being elite defensively.
- Tyrese Maxey averaged just 18.3 points on putrid 43.3/15.8/81.8 splits. Welcome to Mikal-catraz.
- Joel Embiid’s defense was absolutely abhorrent. The Knicks scored 1.27 points per possession when targeting him in the pick-and-roll. That’s bad.
- The Knicks swept a very talented Sixers team despite missing OG Anunoby for two of the four games and having their All-NBA center spend more overall time on the bench than in the game.
- The Knicks outrebounded the Sixers by 42 in four games.
- Points in the paint: Knicks 206, Sixers 162. Ouch.
- Bench points: Knicks 137, Sixers 104. Double ouch. This would look worse without garbage time.
- The Knicks made 19 more three-pointers.
- The Sixers attempted more free throws. Don’t tell Joel.
- Joel would also not like to know how many Knicks fans were in Philly the last few days.
More:
Other Miscellaneous Stats
- The Knicks have now won 21 games by 20+, 18 games by 25+, 12 by 30+, seven by 35+, and four by 40+. All of those are franchise records.
- The Knicks’ bench leads the NBA in plus-minus and has outscored the opposing team’s bench in 7/10 games. They did not do that once last year.
- The Knicks lost their two playoff games by two combined points. They had the ball with the shot clock off and a chance to win in both. Let’s be real, though, they needed those losses.
- The Knicks are back in the Eastern Conference Finals for the second straight season. They only won ONE playoff series from 2001 to 2022. Cherish this.
