76ers may have championship blueprint after another win over Knicks

76ers pull off another impressive win over the defending champion Knicks

Philadelphia controlled the game the entire way, thoroughly outplaying the Knicks at their own game. It was extremely physical with New York all night, cutting off driving lanes, giving shooters no space to breathe and working tirelessly on the glass.

Although the 76ers got outrebounded 45-39 on Friday night, it was a dramatic improvement from last year’s playoff series where they lost the rebounding battle by double figures in three of the four games. It was a major reason why they lost the series, but it’s something they’ve clearly tried to address.

Offensively, they were equally as impressive. The scoring load was distributed effectively, as point guard Tyrese Maxey led the way with 27 points, forward LeBron James put up 20 points and guard VJ Edgecombe had 13 points.

Star center Joel Embiid had an off night, shooting 3-of-12 from the floor for 10 points, but guard Anfernee Simons was there to pick him up, scoring 21 points off the bench. On a night when the team’s best player was dreadful on offense, and Brown sat out, the game went about as well as Philadelphia could have hoped.

The 76ers continue to speak about needing time for the roster to gel with so many new pieces, but they haven’t had much trouble with it so far. They have been one of the best defenses in the league, the offense seems to gain more fluidity each game and the pecking order is starting to be established between the stars.

The city of Philadelphia is starving for a championship, and the team will certainly be in contention for one if it continues playing this way.