Throwback: The Knicks-Sixers Playoff Memories I Bring to Philly Tonight

Every time the Knicks get on the turnpike to Philadelphia, I think about the last two springs. We've met the Sixers in the playoffs twice in three years and won both series, 4-2 in the 2024 first round and a 4-0 sweep in the 2026 East semis, per NBA.com's series pages. That's eight wins in ten playoff games. So yes, I'm a little annoyed that Philly beat us 106-100 on opening night, with Tyrese Maxey scoring 28, per ESPN. Tonight's NBA Cup opener at 6:30 p.m. CT on Prime Video is a chance to remind them how this usually goes.

Let's take the trip down memory lane first, because it's a fun one.

The 2024 series that made the Garden believe again

Game 2 of that first round is still the loudest I've ever heard the Garden get without a trophy in the building. The Knicks were down five inside the final 30 seconds. Then Brunson's corner three bounced high and dropped, Josh Hart ripped the ball away from Maxey on the inbound, Isaiah Hartenstein crashed in for the offensive rebound on a DiVincenzo miss, and Donte buried the go-ahead three with 13.1 seconds left. Eight points in about 20 seconds and a 104-101 win, per NBA.com's takeaways. NBA.com even pointed out it happened on the same floor where Reggie Miller once did the same thing to us, just on the opposite end. Redemption, Knicks style.

Relive the Game 2 chaos, courtesy of the NBA's official YouTube channel:

Then Brunson took over the series. He dropped 47 points and 10 assists in Game 4 in Philadelphia, the highest-scoring playoff game in Knicks history, per the AP, while Knicks fans took over the building. He kept going: the AP noted after last spring's Game 1 that he'd reached 40 points in three straight playoff games against the Sixers. Philly did steal Game 5 when Maxey scored 46, seven of them in the final 25 seconds of regulation, to force overtime and win 112-106, per the AP. That one stung. But Brunson answered with 41 points and 12 assists in Game 6, and Hart's three with 24.4 seconds left closed it out 118-115, per the AP.

Here's the Game 6 clincher in Philly, via the NBA's official YouTube channel:

What I love about that series is how it was won. The Knicks grabbed 23 offensive rebounds in Game 1, per NBA.com, and scored 21 second-chance points in Game 4, per the AP. That's the paint half of the recipe, a big chunk of how that team beat a Joel Embiid team that had more talent on paper.

The 2026 sweep, which felt like a statement

Fast forward to May. This time it wasn't close. Game 1 was a 137-98 beatdown at the Garden, with Brunson scoring 27 of his 35 in the first half and OG going 7-for-8 for 18, per the AP. NBA.com said the Knicks posted a 74.4% effective field goal percentage, the third-highest in a playoff game ever. Game 2 was the opposite, a grind with 25 lead changes, and the Knicks won 108-102 by owning the paint 56-30, per NBA.com. Brunson scored 26, Cat had 20 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, per the AP.

Watch the Game 1 beatdown, courtesy of the NBA's official YouTube channel:

Game 3 in Philly went 108-94 behind 33 from Brunson and 23 from Mikal Bridges, per the AP. Then Game 4 was pure fireworks. With OG hurt, Deuce McBride started and hit seven threes for 25 points, and the Knicks tied the NBA playoff record with 25 made threes in a 144-114 win, per the AP. It was the franchise's first best-of-seven sweep since 1999 against Atlanta, per the AP, which is about as far back as I'll go today.

And the 25-three sweep clincher, via the NBA's official YouTube channel:

That series is my whole basketball philosophy in four games. One night they beat Philly inside, one night they buried them from outside, and the wings did the dirty work in between. Bridges and OG together, Cat able to stretch it out at the five, and enough size to punish a team when Embiid sat.

Why it still matters tonight

History doesn't win NBA Cup games, and the Sixers know it. They've won four of their first five while we're 2-3, per NBA.com's preview, and they already got us once. The NBA.com preview says Philly is expected to rest either LeBron James or Embiid tonight, and Jaylen Brown is questionable with knee soreness, per the league injury report summarized by WhyNBA. On our side, Jose Alvarado is out with his ankle again, per ESPN, which means more Tyler Kolek, and I'm fine with that after 21 assists and zero turnovers over his last three games, per ESPN.

If Philly is missing size, the 2026 Game 2 blueprint is right there: get into the paint, crash the glass, and make them pay inside before the threes start falling. That's how this team has handled the Sixers in the moments that mattered. I want to see it again, Cup game or not.

Catch up before tip-off with the Morning After from Chicago (https://knicks365.com/blog/knicks-bulls-recap-brunson-38-comeback-2-3), yesterday's fan poll on the biggest fix (https://knicks365.com/blog/knicks-fan-poll-biggest-fix-2-3) and our Atlantic Division preview (https://knicks365.com/blog/knicks-atlantic-division-preview-defending-crown-boston-philly).