The New York Knicks were on fire Sunday afternoon as they demolished the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 4 144-114, completing the series sweep.
Sunday’s blowout pushed New York’s margin of victory to +89, just behind the largest single-series point differentials in NBA history.
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While the Knicks weren’t necessarily viewed as underdogs entering the postseason, almost no one predicted that they would steamroll through the first two rounds with such dominance.
Aside from two narrow losses, the Knicks destroyed the Atlanta Hawks in the first round.
All four wins in that series were by ten points or more, including a 51-point routing in a series-clinching Game 6.
They came into the second round feeling confident and they haven’t let up once. OG Anunoby in particular has been fantastic so far, seeing a major uptick in production across the board.
He’s been on fire from everywhere on the floor while disrupting the opponents top scorers on the defensive end. Additionally, Karl-Anthony Towns has been elite as a scorer, rebounder and even a playmaker.
Towns leads the Knicks in average rebounds these playoffs and surprisingly leads them in assists per game as well.
He’s been a major part of opening up New York’s offense and he’s had no issues dishing out the rock instead of taking the shots himself.
Their success cannot be discussed without noting the brilliance of Jalen Brunson, who’s led the team in scoring and has repeatedly taken over in the clutch this postseason.
Ever since the playoffs began, the Knicks have easily been the most surprising team on both ends of the floor. Even counting teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs, New York still sits at first in field goal percentage this postseason.
They rank second in offensive rating behind OKC, second in defensive rating behind the Spurs and first in overall net rating.
To put it simply, the Knicks have made light work of their opponents so far in the postseason. If they maintain this level of play, they’ll be the favorites to come out of the East and reach the NBA Finals.
James Parker is a sports writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
