Knicks bludgeon 76ers to open Eastern Conference semifinals with emphatic Game 1 statement
Josh Hart’s shot had clanked off the rim – a rarity for the Knicks on Monday.But Mikal Bridges corralled the rebound and kicked it out to Jalen Brunson. And Brunson drilled it, with hardly any time left on the clock.
Of course he did.Did anyone expect otherwise? For pretty much the entirety of the first half, he was doing anything he wanted against the 76ers defense. The shot gave the Knicks a 23-point lead heading into halftime.
It brought Brunson to a whopping 27 points in that first half, including the Knicks’ last 11 heading into the break. It got the fans inside Madison Square Garden to their feet and to full voice.MSG was rocking – in that special way it does this time of year and at a level that felt much more intense than at any point in the first round.
The Knicks were shooting a hair under 66 percent from the field.They were suffocating the 76ers on the other end. They were making it look easy.It didn’t take long for that lead to grow to 31 in the first few minutes of the second half.
The 76ers tried to go to a zone.It laughably failed. The 76ers had no counterpunch or fight.
It was party time at MSG, and the Knicks refused to let it be spoiled.They cruised the rest of the way, obliterating the 76ers 137-98 Monday night to take an emphatic 1-0 series lead. Want to know just how good it was going? Bridges received a standing ovation when he checked out near the end of the third quarter.
It was just a few games ago he was getting repeatedly benched and getting massive heat from fans. Now, though, the Knicks are the hottest team in the NBA.Their first-round surge showed no signs of slowing up. Over the last four games – the final three games of the first round and Game 1 on Monday – the Knicks have outscored opponents by a combined 135 points.
They became the first-ever team in the play-by-play era to lead by 30-plus points in three straight playoff games.They were one-point shy of being the first-ever to win back-to-back playo...