Knicks 108, 76ers 102: “i Love Him Again”

Monday night, the Knicks won by TKO. Last night, they won on points. Tomorrow night, they may have to fight with one arm tied behind their back.

While the absence of Joel Embiid for any extended time dooms any chance the 76ers have of winning this series, his absence in Game 2 was an ironic boost for Philadelphia. The Sixers split their centers’ minutes evenly between Andre Drummond and quick-footed reserves Adem Bona and Dominick Barlow, flipping the Game 1 script of Jalen Brunson attacking Embiid relentlessly; last night the 76ers were aggressive defensively, blitzing and doubling Brunson.

Karl-Anthony Towns was omnipotent but also omnifouling, though when he was kicking the Knicks was clicking: KAT, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges scored 62 points on 65% shooting. Without Embiid’s supernova gravity, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George showed flashes but ultimately spun out of orbit, combining to shoot just 39%. Despite being down 0-2, the 76ers head “home” with reasons for hope.

While the non-Embiid starters again played 40-plus minutes — 47 for Maxey — they expanded from what’s been a six-man rotation this postseason to eight, which could ease the heavy load Maxey, George, VJ Edgecombe and Kelly Oubre have been carrying. Bona grabbed six offensive rebounds in his 16 minutes, and Barlow’s strength and length made Brunson have to work harder than Embiid or Drummond do dropping in coverage. It also freed George to spend more time guarding KAT, and George gave him some trouble.

The Sixers were tied with just over five minutes left, and had George’s 3-point try with 27 seconds left fallen, who knows how the endgame may have played out? Zoom out and all that’s happened is that the Knicks defended their homecourt. If the Sixers can win a home game Friday, they’re just another home win away from returning to New York with this series having a whole new feel.

Hanging over all of this are the injury unknowns. There’s still no work on Embiid’s status for Game 3. Mitchell Robinson was a late scratch due to an undisclosed illness. Anunoby left for the locker room with about three minutes left after appearing to suffer a calf injury. OG’s having such a sick playoff that right after hurting his leg, he nearly dunked. Current status: “questionable.”

Knowing the Knicks, Anunoby could be dead and they’d list him as “questionable” till the very last minute.

While OG is all anyone can think stress freak about today, the Knicks regardless have an incredible opportunity in front of them. The 76ers won their championship when they beat the Celtics; their season is already a success. They’re short-handed, exhausted and out-gunned. Their home games aren’t quite home games, not against this team this time of year. The Sixers have a chance to flip the script by Sunday. The Knicks can end it then. History says they better.

In 2013 the Knicks were up 3-0 on the Celtics; a sweep would give them nearly a week off before the next round, time they could rest and work a recently recovered Amar’e Stoudemire back into the team. STAT would have been invaluable for them against the Pacers, as after Carmelo Anthony the Knicks were dependent for points on Tyson Chandler, Kenyon Martin, Jason Kidd, etc. (also Chris Copeland never existed). Then JR Smith got a bad batch of something and took it out via elbow on what turned out to be Jason Terry’s noggin. Instead of a clean sweep, the Knicks barely avoided being pushed to Game 7, Stoudemire never got that practice time, and, well, you know.

In 1994 the Knicks were up 2-0 on the MJ-less Bulls, having ground them to dust over two games at MSG. If they could win Game 3, the Bulls would be mentally beaten and the Knicks could exorcise some playoff demons by closing the Bulls out in their last-ever game at Chicago Stadium. They would have had some time off, an oasis of rest from the playoff intensity and from Pat Riley wearing a six-man rotation down to the nub. Maybe that little bit of rest gives John Starks the lift he needed weeks later to get the title-winning shot up over Hakeem Olajuwon’s fingertip. Instead he Knicks fell behind big, staged a furious late comeback to tie the game in the final seconds, and well, you know.

Quoth 90sRback: “I love him again.” Right now that’s what a lot of Knick fans are saying. About Bridges. Towns. Mike Brown. Five-game playoff winning streaks give everyone good cheekbones. There’s more uncertainty than usual heading into Game 3, but what is certain is winning then could help the Knicks win even bigger games later this spring.