The New York Knicks did not just eliminate the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday night. They embarrassed them.
New York crushed Philadelphia 144-114 in Game 4 to complete a stunning second round sweep and return to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second straight season. The game quickly turned into a nightmare for the Sixers as the Knicks rained down three pointers at a historic rate and effectively stole home court atmosphere from Philadelphia fans inside their own arena.
The Knicks tied the NBA playoff record with 25 made three pointers and set a franchise postseason scoring record with 144 points, according to the NBA playoff box score. New York also matched playoff records with 11 threes in the opening quarter and 18 in the first half as Philadelphia’s defense completely collapsed under the pressure.
Miles McBride delivered the breakout game of his postseason career while filling in for injured OG Anunoby. McBride exploded for 25 points and buried seven three pointers, igniting the Knicks early with four consecutive makes from deep during the opening quarter blitz. The historic three point shooting performance immediately entered NBA playoff lore.
Jalen Brunson once again controlled everything offensively for New York, finishing with 22 points and six made threes, while Karl Anthony Towns added 17 points and 10 assists in one of the best playmaking performances of his playoff career. Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, and Landry Shamet all joined the shooting barrage as six Knicks finished in double figures.
The sweep felt like the inevitable conclusion after the Knicks pushed the 76ers to the brink of elimination earlier in the series behind another Brunson’s late game playoff masterclass. New York has now produced one of the most dominant playoff stretches in franchise history.
Philadelphia simply never recovered after New York opened the game with a devastating 20-4 run. The Sixers trailed by as many as 44 points and spent most of the night scrambling defensively as the Knicks moved the ball freely around the perimeter. The official Game 4 playoff recap captured the total collapse that unfolded inside the arena.
Even a flawless shooting night from Joel Embiid could not save Philadelphia. Embiid scored 24 points while going 8 for 8 from the field, but the rest of the Sixers roster collapsed around him. Tyrese Maxey and Paul George combined for inconsistent stretches offensively while New York dominated the rebounding battle and controlled the pace from start to finish.
For New York, however, everything suddenly feels possible. The Knicks have now won seven consecutive playoff games and continue building serious NBA playoff dominance at the perfect moment of the postseason.
The Knicks now await the winner of Cleveland and Detroit, where Detroit’s shocking playoff stranglehold has dramatically shifted the Eastern Conference bracket. Elsewhere around the league, the Thunder humiliated the Lakers again after already delivering Oklahoma City’s playoff warning to the Lakers, adding to the chaos defining this postseason.
What separates New York right now is confidence. The Knicks are defending aggressively, moving the ball unselfishly, and shooting at a level rarely seen in playoff basketball. Their brutal sweep of Philadelphia suddenly has the entire league paying attention.
According to coverage of New York’s brutal sweep of Philadelphia, the Knicks are no longer just a feel good story from Madison Square Garden. They are becoming a legitimate NBA Finals threat.
And after rewriting playoff shooting records in one of the most devastating postseason performances ever seen, nobody left in the Eastern Conference can afford to underestimate them anymore.
