The Knicks are trying to finish off the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 4 today and complete a four-game sweep, while Philadelphia is trying to keep its season alive. OG Anunoby will miss his second straight game because of a hamstring strain.
For New York, this is a chance to do something the franchise has not done in a long time. The Knicks have not swept an NBA playoff series since 2000, when they beat the Toronto Raptors in three games in the first round. Their last sweep in a best-of-seven playoff series came in 1999, when they got past the Atlanta Hawks in the second round and later reached the NBA Finals for the last time.
The numbers from Game 3 showed how the series has been controlled. Karl-Anthony Towns finished with eight points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and one block in 26 minutes, while Tyrese Maxey had 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting and seven assists. The Knicks have also leaned on hard traps and blitzes to keep the ball out of Maxey's hands, a tactic that has slowed Philadelphia's best chance to change the flow.
That pressure has come with a deeper rotation behind it. New York's bench has become a strength under head coach Mike Brown, giving the Knicks another layer as they try to close out the series. Philadelphia, meanwhile, needs a cleaner answer for Maxey and a better night from the pieces around him if it is going to force the matchup back into New York's hands.
The immediate question is whether the 76ers can do enough to extend the series, or whether the Knicks can turn a rare playoff sweep into a statement that reaches back to the franchise's last run to the Finals.
