Late Saturday night, the New York Knicks finally learned who they will face in the second round of the playoffs: the Philadelphia 76ers.
The 76ers dispatched the Boston Celtics after a thrilling seven-game series behind Tyrese Maxey and the return of Joel Embiid. Embiid’s health, which has always been a huge topic of discussion in NBA circles, makes scouting this matchup quite difficult.
The Knicks split the four regular season games they played with the 76ers and Embiid only played in one of those matchups, which the Knicks won. But truth be told, the 76ers are playing like a completely different team at the moment, filled with a ton of confidence, riding the wave of Embiid and Maxey. Throw out any tape from the regular season.
And outside of their two All-NBA talents, VJ Edgecombe is showing a national audience why his name should’ve included more in the Rookie of the Year conversations. Edgecombe plays with no fear and is a freakish athlete. It’s also kind’ve crazy that I’ve spent two paragraphs extolling the 76ers’ talents and haven’t mentioned Paul George once. There were moments during that Boston series where I felt like I was watching the 2013 version of Paul George, who Knicks fans will remember all too well.
The gap in playoff seeding really shouldn’t provide any Knicks fans with comfort, and although the Orange and Blue will have home-court advantage, and the potential to really show out on the road with the two-and-a-half-hour distance between both teams, this could be a tough series.
