Sixers Enter Knicks Series A Dangerous Team

by Marc Narducci | May 4, 2026

Maybe the most overlooked area teams has been this season’s 76ers. Before the postseason, a radio station had a poll asking whether the Sixers would win one playoff game.

There was so little buzz to the Sixers and one of the reasons was the health of Joel Embiid, who underwent an appendectomy on April 9 and missed the first three games of the series with the Boston Celtics. The Sixers went 1-2 in those games. The Sixers lost128-96 to Boston in Embiid return and he was a minus-25 even though he scored 26 points. That game was 17 days after his operation.

There were cries that the Sixers were better without Embiid, a silly narrative. His first game back Embiid needed to shake off the rust. It would have been surprising if he excelled in that game.

Down 3-1, the Sixers won the next three to take the series. In Game 7, Embiid had 34 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and one turnover.

His career has been defined by both his excellence and his durability issues.

Embiid’s durability is a big part of the upcoming series with the New York Knicks.

He suffered an injury late in the Game 7 win and was listed as probable with right hip contusion for Monday’s opener with the Knicks.

New York, with home court advantage, will be the favorite, but that didn’t matter against the Celtics, when the Sixers won three games during the series in Boston.

Boston simply had nobody to match up with Embiid once he shook that rust off. In the final three games – all wins - he averaged 28.6 points, 9.3 rebounds and 7.3 turnovers.

More than that, Embiid allows his teammates more space on the floor because of all the double-teams that he commands.

In addition, there aren’t many teams in the NBA who can match up with the Sixers electric backcourt of Tyrese Maxey and rookie VJ Edgecombe.

There aren’t many defenders who can stay with Maxey, who is among the quickest players with the ball in the NBA. In the Celtics’ series, he averaged 26.9 points and shot .418 from three-point range. Edgecombe might be an even better athlete than Maxey and has become an accomplished defender. In his first playoff series, he didn’t look overwhelmed, averaging 15.1 points and 6.9 rebounds.

Another reason the Sixers have taken off is that Paul George, who was so disappointing in his first 1.5 years with the Sixers, is reverting back to his all-star form.

He had to sit out 25 games due to a PED suspension in the second half of the NBA season, but it might be crazy to say that the 36-year-old George seems refreshed.

During the seven-game playoff, he averaged 17.3 points and shot .550 (22-for-40) from three-point range in 37.1 minutes per game.

If George is either the third or fourth option in the offense, that is an awfully deep team.

The Knicks have strong wing defenders in OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges, so we will see how George fares, but the Knicks simply don’t have anybody defensively to match up with the quickness and athleticism of Maxey and Edgecombe.

If Embiid can stay healthy, this should be a great series, one that the Sixers are cable of winning.

Either way, when the Sixers got down 3-1 to Boston, most assumed their season was over. Now it is very much alive and there is no telling how long the Sixers can keep playing.

Courtesy 76ers Twitter/X

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Author: Marc Narducci

Sixers Enter Knicks Series A Dangerous Team

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