76ers 125, Knicks 109: The mercurial master
The Knicks, in the midst of their own rebuild of sorts, ran into a team that’s more than familiar with the process in the Sixers. However, Philly’s at the apex, ready to contend for a title, whereas the Knicks are still figuring things out.
If a picture’s worth a thousand words, but numbers lie, what is there after the New York Knicks fell at home, 125-109, to the Philadelphia 76ers? The numbers show the game was close until the fourth, when the two best players on the floor, Joel Embiid and James Harden, used a free-throw procession to pull away. Then again, look at New York’s point differentials at the end of each of the four quarters: first quarter, -3; second quarter, -9; third quarter, -2; fourth quarter, -10. If that looks familiar, it is: in the loss to the Heat two nights ago, those numbers were +2, -10, -5, and -14. As soon as shit gets real, the Knicks turn invisible. It’s hard to win if you gotta be up double-digits at the half to have a chance.
Fans don’t watch games hoping they’ll get to see a free-throw contest. Free throws are the salad of basketball: a part of life, an important part of good health, but decidedly not what anyone’s walking away from the meal talking about. Julius Randle and RJ Barrett combined to take 22 free throws but miss nine. Embiid and Harden were 33-37. That juxtaposition highlights the truth about this game that goes beyond pictures and numbers.
The 76ers drafted Embiid third in 2014, an unmistakable franchise talent if he could stay healthy and reach his ceiling. The next three seasons, Philadelphia went 56-190. It’d take another couple of years plus Jimmy Butler’s scorched-earth arrival from Minnesota before the Sixers were considered a contender; despite drafting Tyrese Maxey and Matisse Thybulle and trading for Harden, they haven’t passed the second round since Vince Carter missed at the buzzer in 2001’s Game 7.
Despite six lottery picks in a five-year span, including three top-three picks (Embiid, Ben Simmons, Markelle Fultz), the 76ers have been wanderers on the road of contention for nearly eight years and have yet to reach a conference finals. Losing takes a while to harvest, even when you plant with a purpose.
The Knicks drafted Barrett third in 2019, a nice player in a draft where everyone wanted Zion Williamson, Ja Morant went second and Darius Garland fourth. The next three seasons, New York is 87-112. It’s going to be a while before they’re a contender; despite drafting Obi Toppin, Immanuel Quickley, and Quentin Grimes, they have yet to show consistent competence, much less anything more. Stability can take a while to grow, especially when the only constant around a franchise is change.
You tell me: how many words is this clip worth?
Harden’s been maddeningly brilliant since Brooklyn traded him to Philadelphia. The mercurial master has been known to turn it on and off at times, depending on how he’s feeling. Twenty-nine, 10, and 16 in his second game with the Sixers shows he’s feeling fine. That’s not a judgment — many of us do the same. A fully-engaged Harden is an MVP-caliber player. Randle’s appeared to turn it on of late, too, particularly in his pace. For me, that elicits more curiosity than judgment — what, if anything, kept Randle from that the first months of the season? A fully-engaged Julius is an All-Star level player. You see the chasm that exists between Harden and Randle. Then consider Embiid is above both. Quickley has been a nice player for a late first-rounder in his second season; Maxey, drafted four spots earlier, is better. Evan Fournier is New York’s tertiary scorer; Tobias Harris, Philadelphia’s third star, scores more, has more assists, fewer turnovers and more than double the rebounds of Fournier.
The Knicks had 18 turnovers. This is one area where you should trust the eye test over the numbers: yes, New York ranks 14th in turnovers, which seems respectable until you remember they’re also the second-slowest in the league as far as pace. Like in the loss to the Heat, turnovers did the Knicks in.
They don’t seem to be responding to Tom Thibodeau like they used to. This wasn’t a thing last year.
Philadelphia’s a legit contender. They know it. This is what a team that knows it’s for real plays like.
The Knicks have lost five in a row, nine of 10, and 16 of 18. The Sixers have won two of three, six of eight, and 11 of 15. Those numbers don’t lie. They didn’t this afternoon.
Maybe Harden goes down as Philadelphia’s Dave DeBusschere, a perfect fit: a creative, explosive guard who’ll give Embiid, Maxey, and Harris more room to work than they’ve ever had. The Beard has led the league in both assists and points. Only four other players have ever done that: Russell Westbrook, Tiny Archibald, Jerry West, and Oscar Robertson (Archibald and Robertson led both in a single season). Adding a perimeter savant to the most dominant big in the league brings to mind Shaq and Kobe, Magic and Kareem, Robertson and Alcindor. Embiid and Ben Simmons? Embiid and Butler? Not the same.
The Sixers will reach the playoffs in a chauffeured limo and head right to the high-stakes table to see if nearly a decade of gambling pays off. The Knicks are on a dark highway in a used Geo Metro, low on gas and realizing there’s not enough to reach the casino — and even if they get there, they don’t have any real money to play with. Their best hope is that the driver turns the car around, heads home to regroup and buys a lottery ticket that hits on the way there. Worst-case scenario, he drives on, delusional, pushing the car beyond its design limits; even if they reach the casino, the car will be too worn down to take them any further.
The Knicks lost to the Sixers because the Knicks are waiting for the season to end, whereas the Sixers hope they’ll be the ones ending it. That’s not a judgment. The Knicks haven’t drafted an Embiid; they’re not ready for a Butler or a Harden. Their goal is simpler, though no easier to accomplish: do enough things well, enough things right, so that the next time you’re in a spot where shit gets real, you’re no longer invisible, but invincible. Indefensible.
