Knicks Have Asserted Themselves as the East’s Team to Beat
On May 10th, the New York Knicks put the nail in the coffin by sweeping the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. For the Knicks, this was more than their average Semifinal playoff series win; it was a message to the NBA as a whole, showing they are the team to beat in the East. New York showed that they can win any game, whether it’s a blowout, a back-and-forth, or a last-second shot.
They might also be the hardest team to face as an opponent because of their overall roster depth, role-specific rotations, physical defense, and possibly the best home crowd advantage in the sport. Two of their four wins were by 30-plus points , showing just how dominant they really are. Jalen Brunson is the Engine for This Team If a team like the Knicks wants to be the team to beat in the Eastern Conference, they have to have a superstar to be their engine, and Jalen Brunson is that player.
In the series against Philadelphia, Brunson averaged 23. 0 points, 4. 8 rebounds, and 5.
8 assists. This came while shooting 42. 5% from the field and 42.
3% from three. Brunson did all of this while having a loaded roster behind him. This includes guys like Karl-Anthony Towns , OG Anunoby , Mikal Bridges , Josh Hart , and Mitchell Robinson .