The bright lights of South Philadelphia belonged to New York on Sunday night. In front of a roaring sea of blue and orange inside the Philadelphia arena, the New York Knicks completed a stunning four-game sweep of the Philadelphia 76ers with a dominant 144-114 victory in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. The win sends New York back to the Eastern Conference finals for the second straight season and further cements this team as one of the NBA’s most dangerous postseason forces.
Led by the steady brilliance of Jalen Brunson, the relentless energy of Josh Hart and an explosive shooting display from Miles McBride, the Knicks overwhelmed Philadelphia from the opening tip and never looked back.
McBride, starting in place of the injured OG Anunoby, delivered the breakout performance of his playoff career. Known affectionately as “Deuce” by Knicks fans, McBride buried seven 3-pointers and scored 25 points, electrifying the heavily pro-Knicks crowd. He caught fire immediately, drilling four straight threes in the opening quarter to spark a 20-6 lead and silence the home crowd before the game had barely settled in.
The Knicks’ long-range assault was historic.
New York tied the NBA postseason record with 25 made 3-pointers and matched another playoff mark by knocking down 11 triples in the first quarter alone. Brunson added six 3-pointers of his own and finished with 22 points, while Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns each scored 17 points. Towns also showcased his playmaking ability with 10 assists in one of the most complete offensive performances of the postseason.
By halftime, the Knicks had already buried 18 shots from beyond the arc and built an overwhelming 81-57 advantage. Their 54 points from 3-point range in the first half nearly matched the entire offensive output of Philadelphia through two quarters.
The second half turned into a celebration for thousands of traveling Knicks fans who once again took over the Sixers’ building. Fans waved “Always Knicks” towels, held up brooms outside the arena and loudly drowned out the remaining Philadelphia supporters throughout the night.
Hart even added to the party atmosphere late in the game, ripping off his jersey after another made 3-pointer and tossing it into the crowd to a woman wearing Sixers gear.
The victory marked New York’s first best-of-seven playoff sweep since the 1999 Eastern Conference semifinals against Atlanta and continued an extraordinary postseason run under first-year head coach Mike Brown. After the franchise surprisingly moved on from Tom Thibodeau following last season’s conference finals appearance, Brown has guided the Knicks to seven consecutive playoff victories, including the final three games of their first-round series against Atlanta.
Even more impressive has been the Knicks’ dominance. Their average margin of victory through two playoff rounds now sits at 19.4 points per game, the largest by any team since the NBA expanded the postseason to 16 teams in 1984.
For Philadelphia, another promising season ended in frustration.
Joel Embiid scored 24 points in what was yet another injury-marred postseason, while Tyrese Maxey added 17. Despite rallying from a 3-1 deficit to eliminate Boston in the first round, the Sixers once again failed to advance beyond the second round a hurdle the franchise has not cleared since 2001.
Now, the Knicks move on with championship aspirations growing stronger by the game. New York will face the winner of the series between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Detroit Pistons, with Detroit currently holding a 2-1 series edge.
One year after returning to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in a quarter century, the Knicks are back again only this time, they look even more dangerous.
