76ers’ Tyrese Maxey ready for ‘dogfight’ vs. Knicks in second round

The Philadelphia 76ers finally exorcised their demons against the Boston Celtics, beating them in Game 7 at TD Garden on Saturday to advance to the second round in the playoffs.

The seventh-seeded 76ers escaped with the win, 109-100, eliminating the second-seeded Celtics in the playoffs for the first time since 1982 and authoring the 14th comeback from a 3-1 deficit in league history.

Standing in Philadelphia’s way are the New York Knicks. The Sixers will also look to exact revenge on the Knicks for beating them in the first round in 2024.

Tyrese Maxey remembers it quite well, and he said he is eager for some payback.

“It’s in the past. It definitely didn’t feel good at that time. It was a very competitive series. I think we ended losing, 4-2, but the margin was really close. I expect nothing less. This is actually more (important). That was a first-round matchup. This is a second-round matchup,” said Maxey.

“It’s gonna be a dogfight, it’s gonna be a chess match, and I’m just ready to get started.”

Q "You're gonna face the Knicks…When you remember 2024 series, do you view it as an opportunity to get your get back…?"

Tyrese Maxey "Yeah…it's in the past, definitely didn't feel good…margin was really close…Gonna be a dogfight, a chess match, and I'm ready to get started" pic.twitter.com/lu6JjzPMp6

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) May 3, 2026

Maxey came up big in Game 7 against the Celtics, including making back-to-back crucial layups in the last two minutes. He finished with 30 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists.

He will have a marquee matchup versus Jalen Brunson when they battle the Knicks, who advanced to the second round after booting out the Atlanta Hawks in six games.

Maxey will likely be covered by Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, and Miles McBride.

Philadelphia and New York split their season series, 2-2.

Game 1 will be at Madison Square Garden on Monday.

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