76ers most to blame for Game 1 debacle vs. Knicks

Game 1 was always going to be a tricky challenge for the Philadelphia 76ers to navigate. Not even 48 hours have passed since the 76ers completed a spirited 3-1 comeback against sworn rival Boston Celtics and yet they already had to pack their bags and go to the Big Apple to face the New York Knicks in the first game of their Eastern Conference semifinal matchup.

Playing with that much desperation for three consecutive games has to be draining for any team, and especially so for a 76ers team that has been facing injury question marks all season long. Even Joel Embiid, after dominating the Celtics, appeared to be battered and bruised, especially his knees, but he did suit up in Game 1.

Alas, the 76ers might as well have given Game 1 as a throwaway after suffering a 137-98 defeat to the red-hot Knicks to fall behind 1-0 in the series.

There will be no panic for this 76ers squad. As one would recall, they also lost by over 30 points, 123-91, in Game 1 of their first-round matchup against the Celtics. Moreover, they also lost Game 4 of that series by 32 points, 128-96, to fall behind 3-1 in the series.

Mounting quick turnarounds is this 76ers team’s specialty. But a long look in the mirror is required as the 76ers ponder solutions to avoid getting beaten down to a pulp the way they did against the Knicks on Monday.

Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey come back down to earth in 76ers blowout loss

Embiid did have an excellent series against the Celtics; in Game 7, he was a dominant force, recording 34-12-6 and hitting a few big shots to send Boston home. But of course, the Celtics’ frontcourt pales in comparison to that of the Knicks’. Karl-Anthony Towns is not the best defender in the world, but he will make Embiid work on defense more than the Celtics ever did.

And then there’s the issue of Mitchell Robinson being an excellent Embiid defender. He has strength, size, and length — none of which the Celtics were able to throw against the former NBA MVP — to make life difficult for Embiid. It got so bad for the 76ers that they had to send Robinson to the foul line on purpose to try and take him out of the game and force the Knicks’ third-string center, Ariel Hukporti, in.

Embiid struggled for all of Game 1, scoring just 14 points on 3-11 shooting from the field. And on defense, he wasn’t that much better, as the Knicks got whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted as they shot over 60 percent from the field and 50 percent from deep on the night. (It is important to note, however, that Philly, as a team, was bad on defense on the night.)

As for Tyrese Maxey, he just couldn’t find the range; he shot just 3-9 from the field (0-3 from deep) to finish with 13 points, seven of which came at the foul line. And then on defense, it didn’t seem as though the 76ers could find a home for him.

Mikal Bridges was shooting well on the night. OG Anunoby has been on fire and requires the attention of either Paul George or Kelly Oubre Jr. Josh Hart can just go into handoffs and force Maxey into switches onto Jalen Brunson. Brunson is too big and too strong for the wiry Maxey to handle, especially when he makes his way to the basket.

As the 76ers’ two stars, Embiid and Maxey cannot combine for 27 points on 6-20 shooting from the field, especially not on the road against a streaking Knicks team. They will certainly be better for Game 2, but their struggles played a huge part in why the 76ers were not able to keep up in the first half against the home team.

Philly’s defense needs a reconfiguration

The 76ers are going to have to reconfigure their defense after taking that shellacking from the Knicks in Game 1. Figuring out how to navigate New York’s desire to put Embiid or Maxey into every action is going to be important.

Putting Embiid on Towns means risking a lot of pick and pop opportunities from the Knicks center. If Embiid were to match up against Josh Hart, he’s going to have to defend plenty of dribble handoffs, which might give New York plenty of 4-on-3 opportunities. Considering how battle-tested Embiid’s knees are, head coach Nick Nurse will have his work cut out for him in this regard.

Stopping dribble penetration from Brunson will be the number one priority, so it might be time for the 76ers to put Paul George, the man who slowed down Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum the previous round, on him more often. George is already 36 years of age, so he won’t be able to guard him all game, but the 76ers will have to utilize that matchup more often.

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