The Philadelphia 76ers know a thing or two about comebacks. Just last week, they clawed their way back from a 3-1 series deficit to shock the Boston Celtics in the first round of these NBA playoffs. So, after Monday night’s brutal 137-98 loss to the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, the message from the locker room is clear: no panic, just adjustments.
“We kind of started the Boston series off like this, right?” guard Kelly Oubre Jr. said Tuesday, reflecting on a film session in Midtown. “But we made adjustments. We got better each and every game, so I expect the same from this series. Only up from here.”
It’s a familiar feeling for the seventh-seeded Sixers, who dropped Game 1 to the second-seeded Celtics by 32 points before tightening up their defense and flipping the script. But the challenge this time around is steeper. While Boston struggled with injuries as that series wore on, the third-seeded Knicks are playing at a historic level. Monday’s 39-point blowout marked their third straight playoff win by at least 29 points—an NBA first, with no team ever winning three consecutive postseason games by 25 or more.
The Knicks shot an eye-popping 63.1% from the field, a franchise playoff record, led by Jalen Brunson’s 35 points on 12-of-18 shooting and OG Anunoby’s efficient 18 points on 7-of-8. For the Sixers, the path forward starts with their stars. Joel Embiid managed just 14 points on 3-of-11 shooting, while Tyrese Maxey added 13 points on 3-of-9—a far cry from their combined 54.9 points per game average against Boston.
“It’s the adversity part of it, and our backs are against the wall,” rookie guard VJ Edgecombe said Tuesday. “It’s been like that the whole postseason, so we’ve just got to go and play hard and stay together. We’re going to face adversity. Every team is going to face adversity at some point. Now, we know what we have to do.”
Fatigue could also be a factor. The Knicks enjoyed three days of rest before Monday’s rout, while the Sixers were coming off a grueling seven-game series that ended just 48 hours earlier. But for a team that’s already proven it can rise from the mat, Game 2 offers a chance to remind everyone why they’re still here.