PHILADELPHIA — It could have been a repeat of the scene from 48 hours ago, but this time the New York Knicks were better.
With the Knicks leading by one and looking to end their first-round NBA playoff series for the second time in three days, Donte DiVincenzo stepped to the free throw line. At this moment, they knew that far more important than the basketball game was the phone game.
Two nights ago, the Knicks were locked in another tight battle with the Philadelphia 76ers, with Josh Hart hitting just one of two free throws to extend the Knicks’ lead to three with 15 seconds left. point. Anyone who likes drama knows what happened next: The Knicks didn’t intentionally foul, even though they should have. Hoboken’s Tyrese Maxey tied the game with a three-pointer. The 76ers won in overtime, extending the series to a sixth game.
The Knicks said after the final buzzer sounded on Tuesday that they had a communication error. Head coach Tom Thibodeau wanted them to foul out the three-pointer, but the message didn’t get through.
This won’t happen again.
As DiVincenzo waited for the ball, preparing to make two free throws to give the Knicks a three-point lead, the Knicks players scrambled to remind each other of the situation. Everyone on the court knew the plan: If DiVincenzo sank both free balls, they would commit an intentional foul.
This time, that’s exactly what they did.
DiVincenzo nailed them both. Miles “Deuce” McBride, the man who failed to commit an intentional foul on Tuesday, slugged Maxey in the backcourt long before he could take a shot. The Knicks and 76ers exchanged free throws. It helped New York win 118-115 and, more importantly, win the series 4-2.
OG Anunoby celebrates a three-pointer during Game 6 against the 76ers on Thursday. (Bill Streicher/USA Today)
“Sometimes when something like this happens, it becomes a little clearer for everybody,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “And we’re not going to be perfect. We’re going to make mistakes along the way. I think you see that here.
The Knicks will face the Indiana Pacers, who just defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in six games, in the second round of the playoffs. Game 1 is scheduled for Monday night at 7:30 pm ET.
New York will make mistakes in this series, too. Just like against Philly, it has to learn from them.
The Knicks are where they are today — they’ve won a playoff series in back-to-back seasons, the first time the franchise has accomplished that feat in 24 years — in part because their mistakes have made them better.
They screwed up at the end of Game 5, so they made sure they didn’t do the same thing in Game 6.
On Thursday, they hit a big one. They fouled when they should have fouled. On another possession, when the Sixers went on offense in the final minute and the Knicks were up three, Thibodeau knew Philadelphia had to hit a three.
Instead of leaving a traditional center on the floor like he did when Mitchell Robinson fouled Maxey on a fourth-and-goal in Game 5, he replaced McBride and formed a smaller lineup that allowed OG Ah Nunoby plays center. It stopped.
The Knicks noticed something that wasn’t working and made adjustments.
After Maxey scored 46 points in Game 5, they put different defenders on him. In the sixth game, DiVincenzo started.
They modified Joel Embiid’s double team. In the second half of Game 6, they directly defended the reigning MVP and would not double unless in an emergency. Before that, they varied the source of double teams, sometimes from two passes, sometimes from the baseline.
The Knicks didn’t just win Game 6 because they’ve been through this before.
Hart hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 25.6 seconds left in the game and finished with 16 points, 14 rebounds and 7 assists. Anunoby came into the game in the second half, disrupted passing lanes and beat Embiid hard for a dunk in the fourth quarter. He finished with 19 points and 9 rebounds. DiVincenzo rediscovered his shooting ability, scoring 23 points and 7 assists, while hitting 5 three-pointers.
Then there’s Jalen Brunson, who scored 41 points and dished out 12 assists. He has now scored 39 or more points in four consecutive playoff games, the first time since Michael Jordan did it in 1993.
27-year-olds who averaged over 35 points per game in the playoffs:
Michael Jordan
Elgin BaylorAnd Jalen Brunson. pic.twitter.com/Wcbc3hSRVh
— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 3, 2024
“It was a very big test for us and we came out victorious,” Brunson said. “Looking forward… it might be a different test, maybe something completely different. But it definitely helps and obviously, you want to learn while you’re winning, so obviously we’re still playing and we want to get better. .
That’s why the Knicks have expressed no interest in falling out of the No. 2 seed at season’s end. Other teams in the league, such as the Cleveland Cavaliers, were terrified of the 76ers, who dropped to seventh place with Embiid injured, enough to intentionally lose on the final day of the regular season. But New York wants the position.
Now, the group is already in good shape for finishing second.
The Knicks got close to the 76ers in the first round. The Knicks — yes, the New York Knicks — will be the favorite to reach the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000.
But that doesn’t mean Indiana will be a picnic.
The Pacers performed well in the game. They are speed demons in transition. Tyrese Haliburton’s pick-and-roll with Myles Turner is one of the most dangerous moves in the NBA. The Knicks are going to have a lot of problems in the second round that they’ve never seen before.
A season ago, they faced a lower seed in the Eastern Conference semifinals and struggled, losing to the Miami Heat in six games. But the Knicks tend to learn from their mistakes.
It’s a great trait to have to brag about come playoff time.
“In the playoffs, crazy things happen,” Thibodeau said. “Then it’s how you respond.”
(Top photo: Bill Streicher/USA Today)
