GREENBURGH, N.Y. — After wrapping up their series against Boston, the Philadelphia 76ers quickly shifted focus to New York, bringing back vivid recollections from their recent playoff history.
This Eastern Conference semifinals matchup recreates a competitive series between these Atlantic Division neighbors from the Northeast, where New York claimed victory in six games during 2024.
Jalen Brunson and Tyrese Maxey showcased incredible individual efforts. Each team mounted remarkable comeback attempts.
New York supporters created thunderous noise at Madison Square Garden — and even louder at Philadelphia’s home venue. (Joel Embiid certainly remembers this detail).
After the dust settled, New York had edged Philadelphia by a single point, 650-649. They resume competition Monday evening, with both sides anticipating an even more intense battle.
“I expect nothing less. Actually more,” Maxey stated. “That was a first-round matchup. This is a second-round matchup. So I think both teams are going to come out there and be extremely competitive. It’s going to be a dogfight, it’s going to be a chess match and I’m just ready to get started.”
New York enjoyed several days of rest following their dominant 140-89 Game 6 victory over Atlanta on Thursday, establishing an NBA postseason record with a 47-point halftime advantage. Philadelphia has just one complete day to recuperate after achieving the NBA’s 14th successful comeback from a 3-1 series deficit, defeating Boston 109-100 on Saturday.
Philadelphia became the first seventh-seeded team to eliminate a second seed since the opening round adopted the best-of-seven structure. This was the exact seeding matchup when these teams met two seasons ago.
The 76ers nearly forced a tie in that series during Game 2 before New York rallied from a five-point deficit with less than 30 seconds remaining. Brunson established a Knicks playoff scoring record with 47 points in Game 4, and New York appeared ready to close out the series at home in Game 5 before Maxey contributed seven points in regulation’s final 25 seconds, sending Philadelphia to an overtime victory.
“Man, that was a fun series. We were going punch for punch,” Josh Hart commented following Sunday’s practice session. “When you think about that, you always think of the good games, so you guys can guess what games those are. But you know that you’ve got to turn the page. Those are memories. They don’t affect tomorrow but they’re fun memories.”
Embiid rejoined his team during the middle of the Boston series following appendix surgery and was noticeably limping late in Game 7 after another player collided with his knee. His physical condition appeared more concerning during the 2024 series, as he dealt with ongoing issues from a surgically repaired left knee and a recent Bell’s palsy diagnosis, which causes facial paralysis.
“I had a lot going on at that time, so hopefully everything is good this time,” Embiid explained. “We’ve got a much better team than we had at that time, so it’s going to be a fun series.”
New York also looks improved, having added All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges to their roster. They’ve reached the second round for four consecutive seasons, and the third-seeded team surprisingly secured home-court advantage due to Philadelphia’s opening-round comeback.
Now New York must contend with the effective Embiid-Maxey partnership that’s finding its rhythm.
“If we expect to be who we are,” coach Mike Brown noted, “we’ll figure it out.”
Brunson heard roaring “MVP! MVP!” chants during the 2024 Game 4 triumph after Knicks supporters flooded into Philadelphia, prompting Embiid to voice his frustration with 76ers fans following that contest. He’s now urging them to prevent the vocal New Yorkers from dominating again.
“Last time we played the Knicks it felt like this was Madison Square Garden East. So we’re going to need the support,” Embiid declared. “Don’t sell your tickets. This is bigger than you. We need you guys. The atmosphere we’ve had the last couple games in Philly, especially the last one pushing it to Game 7, I mean, we need all of it.
“Knicks fans, they travel. There’s going to be some people that need the money and probably going to sell tickets, but don’t do it. We need you guys. We’ve got a pretty good chance. We’re going to need our support. We’re going to need them to be extremely loud and if you need money, I got you.”
Home-court advantage proved meaningless previously, as visiting teams captured all four regular season meetings. The initial two occurred at Madison Square Garden before New York won both Philadelphia contests, concluding with a 139-89 blowout on February 11.
Both star point guards appear prepared to continue their 2024 performances. Maxey posted 26.9 points per game during the opening round, ranking third league-wide, while Brunson followed closely at 26.3.
New York’s All-Star center represents the most significant addition to this rivalry since their last playoff encounter, displaying his complete offensive skillset during the first round by recording his first two career postseason triple-doubles against Atlanta.
