The Sixers got their first win of the 2024 NBA Playoffs at The Center on Thursday, a 125-114 victory over the New York Knicks. Joel Embiid, battling discomfort in his knee from his surgically repaired meniscus and a reportedly minor case of Bell’s Palsy on top, was simply masterful... that is assuming he should have been allowed to finish the ballgame.
But the way this series has played out, the tension almost makes it feel like a throwback to some of the rugged playoff series the Knicks were used to back in the days when Patrick Ewing, Charles Oakley and Anthony Mason were doing all they could to strike the fear of god into all challengers — including dynasties that had them significantly out-talented.