The NBA Playoff first-round series between the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers pits two talented teams who under normal circumstances, wouldn’t be facing off this early. Had the reigning league MVP Joel Embiid not gotten hurt in the regular season, the 76ers would have assuredly finished higher than seventh in the Eastern Conference.
On top of how talented each team is, both are among the most physical in the NBA. The Knicks have embodied their head coach, Tom Thibodeau, while the 76ers are not afraid to mix it up under first-year head coach Nick Nurse.
That has led to a lot of back and forth about how their series has been officiated to this point. In Game 2, the 76ers had legitimate gripes with how the end of the game played out, which resulted in an insane come-from-behind win for New York.
In Game 3, the roles were reversed. There were several incidents and altercations which Embiid was in the middle of. He was assessed one Flagrant-1 foul during the game but could have received another one on multiple occasions.
At points in Game 3, a line was crossed with physicality into the category of reckless. It isn’t something the Knicks will shy away from, as it was matched in many regards. But, as guard Miles McBride shared, taking their home crowd out of the game and not allowing things to snow ball is where they need to focus.
“I think we matched it. We didn’t go above it and…we let their crowd be in it. I think they were just feeding off of that. So I think we have to come in on Sunday and, from the beginning, throw the first punch & keep throwing them,” McBride said via Ian Begley of SNY.tv.
It was certainly encouraging to see the Knicks players keep their cool with some of the incidents but also stick up for their teammates by getting into Embiid’s face a little bit. If there is a team in the NBA that knows how to toe the line of physical play without going over it, it is the Knicks.
It will be interesting to see how they respond in Game 3. They could be without Mitchell Robinson, who was in a walking boot after the game from his ankle being injured. If the Knicks can get off to a hot start to keep the crowd in check, they will have a good chance of taking a commanding 3-1 lead back to Madison Square Garden for Game 5.
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