The New York Knicks just eliminated the Philadelphia 76ers from the playoffs after winning the series 4-2.
Jalen Brunson:
As expected Jalen Brunson was a huge part of the Knick's success throughout this series. In games 1 and 2 he didn't shoot very well but that didn't matter because the Knicks were able to win those games anyway.
Starting in game 3, he began to play extremely well.
Game 3: 39 Points and 13 Assists!
Game 4: 47 Points and 10 Assists! (This is the most points EVER scored by a Knick in a playoff game!)
Game 5: 40 Points and 6 Assists!
Game 6: 41 Points and 12 Assists!
The last player to score 39+ Points in 4 straight playoff games? Michael Jordan in 1993.
A historic series for Jalen Brunson.
Obviously, Brunson wasn't the only Knick to play well in this series. Mitchell Robinson, Isaiah Hartenstein, and OG Anunoby all played great defense. Josh Hart led all players in rebounding and increased all his averages from the regular season. Miles McBride had strong contributions coming off the bench, and Donte DiVincenzo came up with some clutch shots, including a huge game-winning shot in game 2.
Joel Embiid:
Unsurprisingly, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey were the best players for the 76ers in this series. Embiid is the reigning MVP and one of the best players in the NBA, and Maxey won this year's Most Improved Player award. Embiid was injured and didn't play most of this regular season, but unfortunately for the Knicks, he came back just in time for the playoffs. He had some strong moments in this series, including scoring 50 points in game 3. He is known for drawing fouls and shooting a lot of free throws, which he did in this series, but besides that, the Knicks actually did a pretty good job of making him miss shots. This good defense and strong rebounding numbers against Embiid were an important factor for the Knicks in every win.
Future:
The Knicks will now advance to play the Indiana Pacers in the conference semi-finals, which could be considered an easier matchup than the 76ers.
The Knicks also made the conference semi-finals last year, but they have not made the conference finals since the year 2000. The Knicks are looking good so far in the playoffs so we'll see how far they can make it this year.