Sixers On SI's Staff Predictions For Sixers-Knicks Playoff Series

A week ago, the Sixers' season was all but over. One week later, they're preparing for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the New York Knicks.

All it took was a historic series comeback against the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs, defying decades of history. No big deal.

As much fun as it is to mock the Celtics – don't worry, we have you covered there as well – it's time to look ahead to the Knicks given the tight turnaround between the first round of the playoffs and the conference semifinals. Game 1 is Monday night in New York, and the Sixers and Knicks will play every other day from there unless this series goes to a Game 7.

Here's how the staff at Sixers On SI sees the Eastern Conference Semifinals playing out.

Austin

If this were a first-round matchup, I’d lean considerably more toward the Knicks. But the type of air-tight defense required of the Sixers to push the Boston Celtics to seven games should condition them for any team’s staff of wings and shooters.

Perhaps the most challenged Sixer of all will be Joel Embiid, who will theoretically have to tax his lungs and his legs guarding Karl-Anthony Towns in space. That has to mean some schematic adjustments to protect the rim. Does Nick Nurse have Embiid guard Josh Hart and maybe Paul George guard Towns from the jump, keeping Philadelphia’s defensive priorities in order?

Nonetheless, the Sixers have length to guard Jalen Brunson on the perimeter, something that they had in limited supply when these teams matched up in the playoffs two seasons ago. They were physical and poised with Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum throughout the first round. OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges are not Brown or Tatum.

And as long as Brunson is on the court, the Sixers will have someone to target on defense. It just so happens that Tyrese Maxey saved his best for the last half of Philadelphia’s upset of the Celtics.

The Sixers will either be exhausted from the short turnaround to Game 1 or running on a supply of adrenaline from a historic Game 7 win in Boston. But they figure to have Embiid from the jump in this series, a luxury they were not afforded early in the Boston series.

Oh, and I’ll take Nick Nurse’s resume over Mike Brown’s.

Sixers in 6.

Jacob

It cannot get more dramatic for the Sixers than this. They knocked off Boston 4-3 in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, eliminating the Celtics for the first time since 1981-82.

Philadelphia’s reward? A chance at redemption against the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

New York last defeated the Sixers 4-2 in the first round of the 2023-24 playoffs. While neither team looks the same, there is one similarity: Brunson.

Philadelphia could not contain him as he averaged 35.5 points and nine assists per game in that series. The Sixers are now better equipped to guard him between George, VJ Edgecombe, and Kelly Oubre Jr.

Fun fact: Brunson shot only 8-of-24 from the field and recorded seven assists to three turnovers with Edgecombe as his closest defender, according to NBA.com.

Inversely, Philadelphia can hunt Brunson one-on-one and could do the same against Towns in drop coverage. Embiid, nursing a right hip contusion, may struggle to defend Towns, however.

The Knicks used Towns to initiate more offense in the high post, as he registered 10 assists in two of New York’s last three games against the Atlanta Hawks. That allowed Brunson to move off the ball as well.

The Sixers can adjust accordingly, but it will be for nothing if they cannot rebound. The Knicks are averaging the most second-chance points of any playoff team this year, per NBA.com.

Boston posted more second-chance points in all three of its wins in the last series. Containing Towns and Mitchell Robinson off the glass will be essential.

The Sixers possess the talent to best New York on both ends of the court with their core four and defensive savvy. This series could boil down to top-end talent, as neither team ranks in the top 25 in the league for bench points per game, per NBA.com. They split their regular-season series at two games a piece.

Sixers in seven—no pun intended.

Bryan

Just as we all expected two weeks ago, all three of us are picking the Sixers to beat the Knicks and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years.

As Jacob noted, the Sixers are far better equipped to guard the Knicks – Jalen Brunson in particular – than they were two years ago in their last playoff series. All but one of those games was decided by seven points or fewer.

The Sixers just took three games off the Celtics in Boston. They just knocked off the Eastern Conference favorites in the first round of the playoffs. If this group was lacking in belief before, it certainly won't be now.

On paper, the Knicks have nowhere to hide Brunson. CJ McCollum gave him the business for the first few games of Knicks-Hawks before the Knicks shifted Brunson off McCollum defensively and the Hawks' offense sputtered.

Maxey and Edgecombe should blow right past, around and through him. Oubre's a potential option, although he'd be giving up a ton of size, and Oubre might be the best cutter on the team. The Sixers picked the Celtics apart early in Game 7 with pinpoint Embiid passes to a cutting Oubre, so the Knicks might prefer to keep some combination of Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby on Oubre and Paul George.

The Knicks' double-big lineup could present challenges for the Sixers. Mitchell Robinson in general should be a fascinating X-factor in this series. Can Drummond help the Sixers break even in those minutes, or will they get blown off the court whenever Embiid isn't on the floor? (Same as it ever was.)

The Sixers might get routed in Game 1 coming off that hard-fought Game 7 on Saturday. Game 2 should be far more emblematic of how the rest of the series could play out.

Whoever wins Game 2 likely wins the series. And just like they did against the Celtics, the Sixers will make the appropriate adjustments after Game 1 and bludgeon the Knicks with a heavy dose of Embiid, Maxey, Edgecombe and George.

Sixers in six.

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