The New York Knicks were supposed to be in for a fight. After cruising past the young, energetic Atlanta Hawks in the first round, the Philadelphia 76ers loomed as a completely different beast—a battle-tested, physical powerhouse built to end the Knicks' playoff run before it could gain any real traction.

On paper, the Sixers looked like a matchup nightmare. Joel Embiid, the league's most unstoppable force, presented a problem no team has truly solved. Tyrese Maxey's lightning-quick footwork left defenders scrambling. And with V.J. Edgecombe's stellar regular-season defensive numbers against Jalen Brunson—holding him to under 42% shooting from the field—Philadelphia had every reason to believe they could pull off another upset after eliminating the Boston Celtics in seven games.

But somewhere between the predictions and the tip-off, the Knicks apparently missed the memo.

With about 20 seconds left in the first half, the game had already turned into a one-sided affair. The Knicks had demoralized Philadelphia time and again, but there was still room for one more knockout punch. The sellout crowd at Madison Square Garden rose to its feet as Josh Hart let fly a wide-open corner three. It missed. Mikal Bridges grabbed the offensive rebound and kicked it out to Jalen Brunson.

No Sixer defender bothered to close out. After all, what difference does a three-pointer make when your team has managed just 51 points to the Knicks' 71?

Of course, Brunson's shot ripped through the net, sending MSG into pure euphoria as the teams headed to the locker room. The Knicks had not only answered the challenge—they had turned a supposed nightmare matchup into a dream performance.