Knicks Have Already Laid the Path for Another Lopsided Win in Game 2

May 4, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Miles McBride (2) watches his three point shot against Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) during the first quarter of game one of the eastern conference semifinal round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

A lot of 76ers fans have spent the past day and a half convincing others, if not themselves, that the Knicks' hot shooting can't, and won't persist. Some of that is true.

The Knicks shot an absurd 63/51/71 split and that likely won't be the case for the entirety of this series. There is a chance that some of the players' shooting percentages regress to the means.

Yet I sit here having a hard time believing that the Knicks' offense, which scored 109 points through the first three quarters before garbage time, is just going to fall of a cliff like some are believing.

Knicks are dicing up 76ers by design, not luck

Take Monday night's dominant performance and the shooting splits, and say they shoot 30% from three, instead of 63%. That's obviously a steep decline. But if the Knicks shot 11-37 (29.7%), instead of 19-37, New York still wins by 15. Yes, that might have made a difference, especially if the 76ers had kept their starters in, and executed better offensively. But context matters.

It's not like the Knicks were getting lucky on end of shot clock heaves, and making shots that they aren't expected to make. What's baffling about this oversimplified logic is the neglecting of the why.

A significant part of why the Knicks shot so well was because of the 76ers defense, or lack thereof. Maybe, just maybe, the Knicks shot so well, because they were getting incredibly good looks. And those shots that went in were a byproduct of Philadelphia playing drop coverage, and not knowing how they can hide Joel Embiid against an offense that sought him out unrelentingly.

In Game 1, the Knicks had an expected points per shot of 1.27, and an expected offensive rating of 122 in the half court. And, they also posted their third-highest shot quality score all season long. Both of those stats are good indicators that you are getting incredibly quality looks, which often helps you shoot a high percentage.

Knicks forward OG Anunoby drives against the 76ers in the playoffs. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Knicks also finished the regular season fourth in three-point percentage, so it's not the same as a poor shooting team like, say, the Nets, Kings, or Magic shooting the lights out from three. The Knicks already entered Monday night shooting 40.9% from three in their last three games, which is second amongst playoff teams during that span.

They now come into Wednesday having six of their eight non-Mitchell Robinson rotational players shooting over 38% from three, with all of them averaging one or more made threes per game, and two of them averaging more than 2.3 made threes per game.

Additionally, the Knicks also are among the best in the league at making tough shots. Let's assume the 76ers defense improves as the series goes on. That doesn't necessarily mean the Knicks will suddenly stop making shots from here on out.

New York finished the regular season third in effective field goal percentage on shots that were categorized as very tightly contested (closest defender zero to two feet away). That ranking falls quite a bit on threes, but this is where them not being over reliant on threes like the Celtics saves them.

When their outside shots aren't going, they can still beat you from the midrange, and in the paint. And they were still third in the league in field goal percentage on tightly contested threes, which are categorized as the closest defender being two to four feet away.

Another non-shooting related part of the game some have overlooked is the Knicks' ability to win the possession battle. The 76ers will surely try to clean up their turnover problems from Monday, and continue to work on the boards, but the Knicks were able to make up their large free throw disparity by forcing turnovers. That, and their offensive rebounding shouldn't be impacted by shooting.

Again, Monday night's shooting performance may not be replicated. But it's much less unexpected than some are making it out to be. New York is executing extremely well on offense, and are in what some have called an offensive nirvana where all the players seem to be on the same page, and playing better than the sum of their parts.

The conversations surrounding the shooting percentages, which have always been good, have become overblown. Chances are, if the Knicks can continue creating the kind of open, and in-rhythm looks that they got in Game 1, their process could lead to another blowout on Wednesday.