Edgecombe at MSG, Embiid's message to fans and more Sixers-Knicks series thoughts

Two days after winning their first playoff series over the Celtics since 1982, the Sixers will tip off their second-round series with the Knicks. Their last postseason series victory over New York was in 1983.

Here are three thoughts on the series ahead of Monday night’s Game 1 in New York: 

What do Sixers have left in the tank?

The Sixers won’t exactly be a well-rested team for Game 1. 

The Knicks wrapped up their first-round series on Thursday with a third consecutive win against the Hawks. Four Sixers played at least 39 minutes Saturday night in the the team’s Game 7 victory over Boston.

The Sixers have players accustomed to minimal rest like Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe. Still, they expended immense energy in Round 1 to overcome their 3-1 deficit.

“It took a lot,” Maxey said Saturday night at TD Garden. “It took all of us playing the right way, defending, competing. We did a good job of that.”

On the injury front, the Sixers listed Joel Embiid as probable for Game 1 with a right hip contusion. If he plays, it will be his fifth game since undergoing an appendectomy on April 9. 

The Sixers have demonstrated a knack for unexpected wins, but the health of Embiid and all the team’s other core pieces remains paramount. While the Sixers do have players like Dominick Barlow and Adem Bona who could be significant contributors in the Knicks series after barely playing the final three games against the Celtics, the reality is they reached Round 2 by leaning very heavily on their stars. 

On paper, the Sixers will again have numerous disadvantages to combat. 

They’ll be wary of the Knicks’ offensive rebounding, an area that burned the Sixers in their six-game first-round series defeat to New York in 2024. The Knicks ranked seventh during the regular season in offensive rebounding rate, according to Cleaning the Glass. The Sixers ranked 27th in defensive rebounding rate. The team was much better on the defensive glass in the last two games of the Celtics series and will need to carry that over. 

New York clinched its spot in Round 2 with a Game 6 destruction of the Hawks in Atlanta. The final score was 140-89. The last time the Knicks faced the (Embiid-less) Sixers, they took home a 138-89 win on Feb. 11.

Edgecombe back at the Garden 

Two of Edgecombe’s best games all season came at Madison Square Garden. He totaled 49 points on 20-for-34 shooting, eight assists, five rebounds, four steals and three blocks. 

Edgecombe was somehow even more impressive than those numbers indicate. He played exemplary defense on Knicks All-Star guard Jalen Brunson. Edgecombe took pride in the assignment, understood Brunson’s tendencies and didn’t make reckless rookie mistakes. Per NBA.com, Brunson shot 8 for 24 from the floor and only attempted two free throws when Edgecombe defended him during the regular-season series. 

The Sixers won’t expect to shut Brunson down, but they’ve got a 20-year-old who should be handy. 

“I know he’s a rookie, but his mind is so much ahead of what he is,” Embiid said of Edgecombe.

Edgecombe was a spectator for the 2024 Sixers-Knicks series. He watched Donte DiVincenzo’s late go-ahead three-pointer from the stands in Game 2 and felt the frenzied, high-decibel atmosphere of the playoffs at MSG. 

“To be a part of it’s a full-circle moment,” Edgecombe said. “It feels great. I played high school basketball in New York (at Long Island Lutheran). … I’m just super excited to get there.” 

Embiid puts home court in the spotlight 

Embiid relishes opportunities to quiet hostile crowds. He’ll banter with fans siting courtside, shush the arena after clutch jumpers and generally embrace the villain role. 

At home, he’s loved to feel the fans’ passion and represent Philadelphia.

The crowd is not merely something to tune out for Embiid. He went out of his way Saturday night to speak on what he’d like to see from Sixers fans in this series. 

“I just have a message for our fans,” Embiid said. “The last time we played them, it felt like (Philadelphia) was Madison Square Garden East. So we’re going to need the support. Don’t sell your tickets. This is bigger than you. We need you guys and the atmosphere we’ve had the last couple games in Philly, especially the last one, pushing it to Game 7.

“We need all of it. I don’t care if it’s 70-30. Knicks fans, they travel and they’re going to buy the tickets. There’s going to be some people that need the money and they’re probably going to sell tickets. 

“But don’t do it. We need you guys. We’ve got a pretty good chance and we’re going to need that support. We’re going to need them to be extremely loud. And if you need money, I got you.”

Following three road wins over the Celtics, the Sixers will aim to stay sharp away from Philadelphia. The Knicks went 30-10 during the regular season at home, but two of those defeats were against the Sixers.

For Embiid, the hope is that the home games feel like true home games. Single-game tickets for the second round officially went on sale Sunday. Game 3 is scheduled for Friday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena.