Dust My Broom

Sitting at a place around the corner early Sunday afternoon, I openly pondered whether I had been alive when the New York Knicks last swept a series. In a knowing nod to my predilection for superstition, the other party replied, “You shouldn’t have said that.” 

As it turns out, I was – a conference semis sweep over, of all teams, the Atlanta Hawks in 1999 –  but the feeling that accompanied the Knicks’ 144-114 Game 4 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday is not at all what it feels like to be a Knicks fan generally. The Knicks don’t sweep series; they go down 2-1, like they did in the first round against those very Hawks, before making every subsequent brush with disaster the most heart-stopping affair possible. The Knicks play (and, recently anyway, win) close games. They don’t play close series.

While Games 2 and 3 maintained drama into crunch time, Games 1 (a 39-point victory) and 4 pushed the average margin of victory to more than 22 points per game. Joel Embiid, at 32 years old, was perfect from the field and missed a lone free throw to finish with 24 points, to no avail. He will catch immense heat, a lot of it undeservedly. 

Paul “Playoff P” George, a playoff villain to an increasing number of franchises that he plays for who once shot 2-16 in a closeout game (including 0-6 from three), had seven points on seven shots and a perfectly even assist-to-turnover ratio. Following a necessarily impressive showing against the Boston Celtics in the first round and a decent first three games, George put up his first single-digit game in a month and only sixth of the season. He will catch immense heat, a lot of it deservedly.

Tyrese Maxey never hit multiple threes in a game during this series, which he only did once against Boston. After being the fifth-leading scorer in the NBA during the regular season (28.3 points per game), Maxey deposited a cool 18 a game against New York. He will catch some heat, deservedly or not laying in the eye of the beholder.

For the Knicks, there will now be an unfamiliar feeling of comfort as they await the winner of the series between the Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers. OG Anunoby didn’t even play Games 3 and 4, sidelined with a hamstring pull whose diagnosis is much better than it looked initially. Starting in his place, Deuce McBride should run for office in Ohio after posting an inverse-Maxey line of 7-9 from three and 0-1 from two to lead the Knicks in points. 

Karl-Anthony Towns has achieved a new frontier in playmaking, dishing nine assists a game in the series. Jalen Brunson was steady as ever, obliging us with an instant-classic sequence in which he crossed over and around three Sixers for a reverse layup and then hit a three off the stolen inbound pass. It will be in the highlight reel of his career for the duration.

Every Knicks starter scored in the double digits. This is likely how it has to be for them to stand any chance from this point forward, regardless of the competition. That the leading scorer in a closeout game was a backup showcases New York’s vast depth, its strength, which is good. They’re going to need it.