The New York Knicks further proved themselves as the team to beat in the Eastern Conference, achieving a 137-98 blowout victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night.
The dominant Game 1 win arrived days after New York eliminated the Hawks with a sound whalloping in front of the Atlanta fans at their State Farm Arena, 140-89. That effort wasn’t due to high-scoring efforts from the usual stars, but instead, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges rose to the occasion, finishing with 29 and 24 points, respectively.
In their latest effort at Madison Square Garden, they traded the lead with the visiting 76ers early. Still, they ultimately pulled ahead by double digits in the second quarter and were ahead by 37 points with under two minutes remaining. This time, Jalen Brunson led the charge, going off for 35 points on 12-for-18 shooting.
More news: UConn’s Geno Auriemma Opens Up on ‘Dumb’ Exchange With Dawn Staley
Anunoby contributed 18 while Towns and Bridges each added 17 points from the starting lineup. At one point, they had the game in hand, allowing key players to get some rest before their next battle or rout.
Overall, the team shot a mind-blowing 63 percent from the field and 51 percent from downtown. They also won the rebounding battle, 39-28, and had 10 steals and six blocks in a ferocious defensive effort.
Unsurprisingly, the Knicks became the favorites to win the Eastern Conference with Boston’s demise, and they should have moved into that role before that. This team was on the cusp of reaching the Eastern Conference Finals last postseason, but everyone saw that spoiled by the heroics of Tyrese Haliburton and his hungry teammates.
However, this New York Knicks team, which added Towns in recent seasons, has been right there knocking on the door for that Finals spot and seems destined to get there. Even though the Detroit Pistons are the No. 1 seed and would have home-court advantage against New York, they lack the experience and resilience this squad has gained in its postseasons.
And the Knicks are doing something recently that no other team really has for nearly 30 years in the league: building massive leads that are demoralizing.
The roster feels full of players willing to leave it all on the court, and the hustle plays have been paying off in their recent run. When they’re clicking as a team and hitting shots, they look tough to topple.
And one can’t discredit the resume of Knicks head coach Mike Brown, who is a four-time NBA Champion while working as an assistant coach. He’s held head coaching roles before and is a two-time NBA Coach of the Year. It seems like this could be a situation where he’ll contend with the best of the West, and possibly take down the San Antonio Spurs or Oklahoma City Thunder in the Finals.
While this is just one game, and New York had their issues in the past, this is the third consecutive contest in which the Knicks have run through their opponents without mercy. That certainly looks like a sign of a team surging at the perfect time, with the players fully invested.
More news: LeBron James vs. MJ Debate Shut Down by ESPN Star Before Thunder Series
For more about the New York Knicks and the NBA, visit Newsweek Sports.
Read the full article here
