The Philadelphia 76ers walked into Madison Square Garden with high hopes for Game 1 of their second-round series against the New York Knicks. What they got instead was a humbling 137-98 defeat that left the team searching for answers—and quickly finding the right mindset: flush it and move on.
Blowouts are part of the NBA playoffs. Even the ugliest ones. The Sixers trailed by 23 at halftime and saw the deficit balloon to as many as 40 points by the final buzzer. It was a night where very little went right: the Knicks shot a blistering 63.1% from the field and connected on 19 of 37 three-point attempts, while Philadelphia never found its rhythm on either end of the floor.
But here's the thing about playoff basketball—it's a series, not a single game. And the Sixers have been here before. Earlier this postseason, they dropped Game 1 and Game 4 against the Boston Celtics by 32 points each time. In both instances, they responded with a win in the next game. That pattern of resilience is exactly what they'll need to summon for Game 2 on Wednesday.
"Well, you have to," head coach Nick Nurse said when asked about moving forward. "Again, it's like, I know that wasn't any fun. It wasn't any fun to sit there, to be a part of, to be honest, and watch, but it's 0-1. It doesn't really matter if it's six points or 36 or whatever the hell it was. It's 0-1. You got to wash that one away and get back, and we have to provide much more energy and physicality and that kind of stuff."
Nurse's message was echoed loud and clear by his players. The margin of defeat doesn't change the series score. One game is one game, and the Sixers know that dwelling on a bad night only leads to another one.
"Like he (Nurse) said, it doesn't matter," guard Tyrese Maxey added. "We lose by seven or 70. It doesn't really matter. They won one game and we lost one game. Like he said, we're gonna make some adjustments, and we'll be ready for Game 2. Like, Game 1 doesn't carry over to Game 2, and we'll be ready to play."
The Knicks entered this series on an absolute tear, having just eliminated the Atlanta Hawks with a 51-point demolition in Game 1 of their first-round series—a game where they led by as many as 61. That momentum carried straight into Monday night, and New York looked every bit the confident, scorching-hot team they've been.
For the Sixers, the path forward is clear: learn from the mistakes, make the adjustments, and bring a completely different level of energy and physicality to Game 2. The NBA playoffs are as much about mental toughness as they are about talent, and Philadelphia has already shown they have the resilience to bounce back. Now they just have to prove it again.