On Monday, May 2, the Philadelphia 76ers succumbed to the New York Knicks. In a six-game series that was characterized by horrible referees, the Sixers fought well but could not win. The entire series had the Knicks score 650 and the Sixers 649, and each game was decided by under 5 points.
The Knicks ran out to a one-game lead, giving them the edge going into game two. In Game 2 the Sixers were up five with 27 seconds to go. Knicks Guard Jalen Brunson hit a three, and then 76er Kyle Lowry ran over to inbound the ball. He inbounded it to the doubled Tyrese Maxey, who was fouled twice, but neither foul was called.
In addition, 76ers Coach Nick Nurse was desperately gesturing for a timeout but was ignored. Maxey lost the ball and it made its way to 76er Donte DiVincenzo, who bricked a three. Knick Isaiah Hartenstein sliced in and grabbed the rebound, shot, and scored three points. The Knicks led 102-101.
The 76ers gave Maxey the ball in a footrace to the basket versus Hartenstein, but Hartenstein blocked it. Knick OG Anunoby got possession and the 76ers fouled him. He made both free throws, leaving the Sixers down three. In the final 6.6 seconds, Embiid lofted up a three but missed, leaving the final score 104-101. The NBA 2-minute report agreed that this game had an awful finish
Finally, in game three the Sixers scraped together a win back on their own home court. In Game 4, the Sixers lost in another heartbreaker, leaving the them down 3 games to 1 heading back to Madison Square Garden. In Game 5, Maxey tied the game to force overtime and then finished the game with a total of 46 point, tying Wilt Chamberlain for most points in a Sixers playoff game.
Moving back for game 6, the Sixers were down 22 in the first quarter. They came racing back through the second and third quarters with the help of Buddy Hield but eventually fell in the last few seconds due to a three from Knick Josh Hart.
Looking at the Sixers players themselves throughout this season, we see several different cases. Star Joel Embiid started off strong until he had his knee injury where he tore his left meniscus. He came back leading the Sixers in an 8-0 run to end the regular season. In the playoffs, he averaged 31.8 points. Embiid always started off strong and seemed to tire throughout the game. In addition, he suffered from Bell’s Palsy leading his facial muscles to twitch throughout the game.
Tyrese Maxey, the Most Improved Player, has shown that he is an improving star. He has consistently been the second option for the Sixers, and when Embiid was injured, Maxey filled in as the main star.
Kelly Oubre, who came from the Charlotte Hornets, has shown that he is a viable third option with good offensive abilities and decent defense as well. Buddy Hield struggled in the first few games, but in game six he played well shooting six-of-nine from three. Additionally, he hyped up Maxey in game 5 providing a good bench presence. Kyle Lowry played pretty well throughout the series. A 38-year-old veteran, he scored 18 in game 2 and averaged 10 points in the first four games.
Finally, the enemy of all Sixers fans:Tobias Harris. The 31-year old power forward had an abysmal series. In the first four games, he averaged under 10 points a game. Finally, in game 5, he scored 19. But, he came right back to ground zero in Game Six. He scored 0 points in 29 minutes on 0-2 shots. For 29 minutes, this is absolutely abhorrent. As Kendrick Perkins said, “The team told him, ‘Yes,’ and he came back with a back full of napkins and straws,”(Mediate). However, the one bright spot in this situation, and for most Sixers, is that his contract is up and that he is looking for other teams.
In the offseason the Sixers should pursue Paul George, another superstar, as well as learn how to box out in the post. Despite this season being very hard, the Sixers still put on a decent showing in regard to the state of the team.