The No.2 seed New York Knicks will take on the No.7 seed Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs this weekend.
Despite not seeing the best version of each other throughout the regular season, this should be a gritty matchup between two Atlantic division teams.
Here is a breakdown of what to expect from this series.
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NBA Playoffs Preview: Knicks vs. 76ers
Joel Embiid shook off several boos from a ruckus Wells Fargo crowd last night, lifting the Sixers past the Miami Heat with his strong 23 points and 15 rebounds performance.
Embiid's performance last night showed why the 76ers will always have a shot at a championship while he is in the mix.
Their task is to face an excellent New York Knicks team that had one of their best seasons in franchise history last year, clinching the No.2 seed and winning 50 games.s
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NBA Playoffs Preview: Defensive Strategy in Knicks vs. 76ers
This one will come down to how Tom Thibodeau and Nick Nurse game plan for both teams' opposing stars.
Without Julius Randle in the lineup, Jalen Brunson will have to work harder on offense to help the Knicks take the series.
The 76ers will do whatever it takes to slow down Brunson, who is coming off a career year.
Jalen Brunson could be given several different looks, from Kelly Oubre Jr. to Kyle Lowry, all of whom are bigger bodies who could disrupt Brunson and the Knicks' offense.
Meanwhile, the Knicks must figure out a game plan for Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid.
Maxey this season has shown up in significant ways by becoming an All-Star and carrying Philly in games when Embiid was out with injury.
We could see O.G. Anunoby, Miles McBride, and Donte DiVincenzo get some minutes to try and slow down Maxey.
Joel Embiid is a former NBA MVP for a reason. Embiid was in the midst of another strong season before his injury that forced him to miss 30 games this season. The Process quickly picked up where he had left off once he made his return.
Embiid has killed the Knicks in every game he has played in, either in the Garden or at Wells Fargo Arena, throughout his career.
With the Knicks' ample man depth in shambles without Julius Randle, it would be interesting to see how Thibs approaches Embiid defensively.
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NBA Playoff Preview: Knicks vs. 76ers X-Factors
From Nicolas Batum to Josh Hart and Kyle Lowry, there are several key X-Factors on both sides that could help swing this series.
For the Knicks, getting a big-time performance from anyone who could help take on some of the offensive load from Jalen Brunson would be crucial.
We have seen names like Hart, DiVincenzo, McBride, and Bogdanovic come up throughout the season for the Knicks without Randle.
The 76ers need a big performance from either Tobias Harris or Kelly Oubre Jr. this series along with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.
Oubre and Harris have proven to be outstanding offensive players throughout their careers. They must step up big to help give Philly the edge in this series against the Knicks.
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