The first-round NBA playoff series between the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers pits two talented teams that, under normal circumstances, wouldn’t face each other so soon. If reigning league MVP Joel Embiid hadn’t gotten hurt in the regular season, the 76ers would surely have finished higher than seventh place in the Eastern Conference.
In addition to the talent of each team, both are among the most physical in the NBA. The Knicks have embodied their coach, Tom Thibodeau, while the 76ers are not afraid to mix it up under first-year coach Nick Nurse.
This has led to a lot of back and forth about how their series has been officiated up to this point. In Game 2, the 76ers had legitimate complaints about how the end of the game played out, which ended in a wild comeback win for New York.
In Game 3 the roles were reversed. There were several incidents and altercations that Embiid found himself in the middle of. He was given a Flagrant-1 foul during the game, but he could have received another on multiple occasions.
At some points in Game 3, physicality crossed the line into the daredevil category. That’s not something the Knicks will shy away from, as he’s been matched in many ways. But, as guard Miles McBride shared, getting the home crowd out of the game and not letting things take over is what they need to focus on.
“I think we matched it. We didn’t go any further and…let their audience get involved. I think they just fed on that. So I think we should get there on Sunday and, right off the bat, throw the first punch and keep throwing it,” McBride said via Ian Begley of SNY.tv.