Tom Thibodeau’s blunt warning to Knicks after eliminating 76ers

The Knicks closed out the series on the road against a feisty Sixers team that tried their hardest to fight. New York actually was this close to closing out the series in  Game 5, but a Reggie Miller-esque showing from Tyrese Maxey forced overtime, eventually nabbing the win.

Game 6 once again went down to the wire. The game was tied with around 30 seconds left in the game. After a mad scramble, Josh Hart, who has been the hero of the series, drained a final three-pointer to put the team up by three. A defiant final stand gave New York the win and a ticket to the second round.

Knicks’ incredible path to playoffs

All season long, the Knicks have been hovering on top of the Eastern Conference standings. For the longest time, New York sat behind the Milwaukee Bucks and the Boston Celtics. An opportunity arose, though, when the Bucks started to slide down the standings.

A spirited late-season push gave the Knicks the second seed in the Eastern Conference. However, two things immediately put a damper on the team’s playoff chances. The first was the news that Julius Randle would be missing the playoffs, or at least the first round, due to an injury. Randle’s rehab from a January injury did not go according to plan, and unless a major breakthrough happens, he should be out for the rest of the Knicks’ playoff run.

Additionally, the Knicks were scheduled to face the Sixers in the first round. While they came out of the Play-In Tournament as the seventh seed, they were not a team to be taken lightly. Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey were dangerous threats, and many believed that Philadelphia was one of the teams that had major upset potential.

Early in the series, though, the Knicks quickly asserted their dominance in the first few games of the series. Despite the final series score being 4-2, the Sixers were on the verge of being swept at multiple points. The ascension of Jalen Brunson, as well as OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa, and Hart going off in different games, helped them get through the series.

The Knicks will now be preparing to face another underdog team in the Indiana Pacers in the second round. How fan can Brunson take this young Knicks team in the postseason?  We’re about to find out.