Instant observations: Knicks blow out Sixers in Game 1 stinkbomb
May 4, 2026; New York, New York, USA; American producer and activist Spike Lee reacts during the first quarter of game one of the eastern conference semifinal round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs between the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images The Sixers effectively no-showed the start of their series against the New York Knicks, falling 137-98 in a game that was never competitive. Philadelphia was clearly taxed by their seven-game Celtics saga and did almost nothing well, learning close to nothing about their opponent or the matchup from a Game 1, four-quarter ass-whooping.
Other than that, fun 76ers game. Here’s what I saw. A total demolition You can only describe Monday’s first half as a total disaster for the Sixers, a 24-minute stretch where they did almost nothing right.
If you want to make the argument that they had tired bodies and minds after an emotional Game 7, I will certainly hear you on that one. A lot of jumpers from this crew were short, the usual sign of dead legs during a grueling NBA season. But even with that excuse/explanation in mind, this was a brutally sloppy effort that gave them no chance against a Knicks team that shot the lights out.
One of the few things I would give them a pass for is Jalen Brunson’s outrageous start to this series, which did not come down to execution failures. They tried different matchups, they generally contested his jumpers well, and he was just better than what they had to offer to open Game 1. He’s a great player who played like one, and sometimes you just have to wait that out.
A lot of my bigger gripes started on the other end of the floor. For the opening quarter of the game, it was the Joel Embiid show on offense, the Sixers constantly dumping the ball to him on the left block at the cost of a more diverse offense. While the big man was able to bait both of New York’s primary big men into early foul trouble, forcing some tough decisions for Mike Brown, the Sixers spent a lot of time playing through him in static offense that got no one else involved.
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