Knicks Vs 76ers: How This Rivalry Got Personal Again
Knicks Vs. Sixers: How This Rivalry Got Personal Again
The Knicks and Sixers didn’t exactly ease their way into this one. Both teams had to work to get here, and that’s part of what makes this second-round matchup feel like it already has smoke before Game 1 even tips off. New York handled Atlanta in six, but the series still had enough physical moments, adjustments and momentum swings to make the Knicks earn it. Then, when it was time to close the door, they didn’t just win — they embarrassed the Hawks, 140-89, in a Game 6 blowout that became the largest postseason win in Knicks history and included an NBA playoff-record 47-point halftime lead. OG Anunoby went off for 29, Mikal Bridges added 24, Jalen Brunson controlled the pace, and Karl-Anthony Towns put up a triple-double as a reminder that New York has more than one star.
Philly’s road was even crazier. The Sixers looked like they were headed home after falling behind 3-1 to Boston, but they flipped the whole series. Joel Embiid returned from an emergency appendectomy, Tyrese Maxey kept applying pressure, Paul George found ways to impact both ends, and rookie VJ Edgecombe gave Philly some huge minutes. In Game 7, Embiid finished with 34 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, Maxey added 30 and 11 rebounds, and the Sixers beat the Celtics 109-100 to complete the comeback. It was a historic win for Philly: it was the franchise’s first playoff comeback from a 3-1 deficit, and it sent Boston home way earlier than a lot of people expected.
And that’s where the East starts feeling wide open. Two weeks ago, Boston was still sitting there as the perceived heavyweight of the conference, the team everybody assumed would have to be dealt with eventually. Now the Celtics are out (thanks to Philly) and the door feels cracked for everybody left. The Knicks have been trying to break through from tough playoff team to real Finals threat. The Sixers have spent years trying to get Embiid past that second-round wall. Now one of them is about to move within four wins of the Eastern Conference Finals, and the other is going to spend the whole summer sick about it.
What makes this matchup hit different is that it’s not just basketball. It’s history, fan bases, grudges, receipts and a whole lot of “we remember what happened last time” energy. Knicks-Sixers already had that East Coast attitude built into it, but their 2024 playoff series poured gasoline on the whole thing. New York won that one in six, but nobody walked away feeling like it was clean or friendly. It was physical, loud, emotional and messy — exactly the type of series that makes players talk slick, fans act unhinged and every hard foul feel like a personal message.
The first name that comes to mind is Mitchell Robinson, because his history with Joel Embiid is still fresh. During that 2024 series, Embiid grabbed Robinson’s leg while Robinson was in the air, a play that was ruled a flagrant and became one of the biggest talking points of the matchup. Robinson’s postseason was basically wrecked after that series, and even though he’s saying the right things now — including that he doesn’t live in the past — everybody knows that matchup is going to be watched closely. Robinson is one of the few Knicks bigs with the size, timing and physicality to bother Embiid around the rim, and every collision between those two is going to have fans yelling like they’re attending a boxing match with a scoreboard.
Then there’s Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns, which brings a whole separate beef into the series. Their issues go back to 2019, when they got into an actual on-court fight during a Sixers vs. Timberwolves game and then kept it going online afterward. Towns mocked Embiid with “All Bark & No Bite,” Embiid fired back with personal shots, and the whole thing turned into one of those old-school NBA Twitter nights where everybody was refreshing their timeline like it was a Game 7. A lot has changed since then — KAT is a Knick now, both players are older, and the stakes are way higher — but that history is going to be brought up every time they get tangled in the paint.
The fan war might be just as serious. One of the funniest and most disrespectful parts of the 2024 series was how many Knicks fans pulled up to Philly and made Wells Fargo Center feel like Madison Square Garden South. Embiid clearly has not forgotten. After the Sixers knocked out Boston, he told Philly fans not to sell their tickets to Knicks fans, even saying he would help out financially if money were the reason they were thinking about selling. The Sixers are also reportedly trying to limit ticket sales for home games to people with billing addresses in the Greater Philadelphia area, but Josh Hart basically laughed that off and said Knicks fans will find a way. And honestly, he might not be lying.
That fan-player tension has already had some wild moments, too. Tyrese Maxey became a villain in New York back in 2024 when he cooked the Knicks late in Game 5, helping force overtime at Madison Square Garden. The moment went viral not just because of Maxey’s shot-making, but because Tracy Morgan was caught giving him the middle finger from celebrity row while Ben Stiller and Jon Stewart looked sick to their stomachs. It was one of those perfect New York sports moments: hilarious, petty, dramatic and fueled by pure pain. So when Maxey walks back into MSG now as an even better player, best believe the crowd will remember.
On the court, this series probably comes down to who gets the most help from the names outside the obvious stars. Jalen Brunson is going to get his. Embiid, if his body holds up, is going to demand double teams and foul trouble. Maxey’s speed will stress New York’s defense every night. Towns will have stretches where his shooting and passing make Philly’s bigs uncomfortable. But the real swing pieces might decide the series. OG Anunoby was huge against Atlanta and gives New York the exact kind of two-way weapon every playoff team needs. Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart have to defend, rebound, run and knock down the open looks Philly gives them. For the Sixers, Paul George can’t just be a famous name — he has to be a real third star in key moments. Kelly Oubre and VJ Edgecombe have to match New York’s wings physically, especially if the Knicks start turning the series into a rebounding and transition battle.
Coaching will be big as well. Mike Brown has a Knicks team that can play through Brunson, space the floor with Towns, defend with OG and Bridges, and go big with Robinson when the matchup calls for it. Nick Nurse, meanwhile, is never afraid to throw different coverages at a star guard, junk up the game, or dare the right wrong shooter to beat him. The chess match is going to be real: Who protects Embiid from foul trouble? Who keeps Brunson out of the paint? Who wins the non-star minutes? Who adjusts when the other team finds a lineup that works?
That’s why this series feels bigger than a normal second-round matchup. It has stars. It has old beef. It has two fan bases that do not know how to be normal. It has memories from 2024, new fuel from 2026 and a wide-open East sitting right in front of both teams. The Knicks want to prove they’re not just a tough regular-season story or a fun Garden team. The Sixers want to prove they finally have the group that can push Embiid deeper than he’s ever been. And with Boston already sent home, this isn’t just about renewing a rivalry — it might be about who grabs control of the whole conference.
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