The 39-point defeat the Sixers suffered in Game 1 of the second round at the hands of the New York Knicks was disappointing, but not that surprising. Not just because the Sixers weren’t wearing what’s become their lucky white jerseys, but it was a very quick turnaround from their Round 1 triumph in Boston to starting the next series.
Having less than 48 hours to come down from the emotional high, the Sixers looked pretty tired in Game 1. On top of that, the Knicks hit everything. They finished the game
shooting 63% from the field. The silver lining in this was that the Sixers were able give all their key guys the night off early. Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, Paul George and VJ Edgecombe all had their nights end before the third quarter.
That’s about as much recharging as the Sixers will be able to get as one day off in between games becomes the norm as the playoffs progress. After the game, the Sixers didn’t want to use exhaustion as an excuse for their performance, but the Knicks shooting unsustainably well was something pointed to as a reason they can bounce back.
“Yeah, they just had a good game plan. We had a couple breakdowns and we’ll be better next game,” Maxey said.
George acknowledged the miscues, but also thought the Knicks couldn’t miss a shot.
“Yeah, we had breakdowns tonight but they also shot the shit out of the ball,” he said. “They came out hot, they came out on fire. But you know, it’s a game of adjustments. We’ll make adjustments; see what we need to get better at.”
It would be quite the feat if the Knicks shoot over 60% from the field for the series, one that would definitely sink the Sixers’ chances of being competitive in this series. Nick Nurse’s answers after the game explained a little bit more why the Knicks shot so well, and why it might be more than shooting variance.
“I think [on] five or six mid pick-and-rolls in a row that they scored on in every way they could,” Nurse said. “I think they hit six straight times off that and that kind of extended a little bit.”
Nurse is talking about a five-minute stretch in the first quarter, one that got the Knicks running away with the game. The Knicks, primarily through Jalen Brunson, were able to generate a really good shot nearly every time down the floor against the Sixers’ drop coverage.
When Embiid came up high to flash against Brunson, Mitchell Robinson was able to slip behind him for a lob. If Embiid stayed lower, Brunson was able to get over a screen easily and walk into an open jumper. All of these baskets are in this clip below by Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice.com
This had the Sixers’ defense so flummoxed that they resorted to Hack-A-Mitch as soon as the Knicks were in the bonus in the first quarter. Nurse brought Justin Edwards in the game for the single purpose of using his fouls to get Robinson on the free throw line.
“I think it was right on the end of that famous pick-and-roll series I’m talking about,” Nurse said, “so I think it was a chance to try to stop their momentum a little bit.”
Robinson did miss all four of his free throw attempts, but with the Sixers’ offense unable to make them pay on the other end, the Knicks were able to get back to their pulverization of Philly.
The Sixers pulled off their comeback against the Celtics thanks in large part to the defensive adjustments they made. They were able to limit Boston’s three-point shooting as much as they could. They’ll similarly have to reduce the Knicks’ shot quality if they want to have a chance in this series. With an offensive threat at center in Karl-Anthony Towns and an offensive strategy that is more than getting up as many threes as possible, the Knicks pose more complicated challenges, and it’s on the Sixers to figure them out.
