There has been much discussion about the final 30 seconds of regulation for Game 5. That’s when Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia’s firecracker point guard, turned Madison Square Garden into his personal playground.
But the signs of an explosion were evident all night and even throughout the series, sparked with 4:33 left in the fourth quarter when Maxey pulled up from 28 feet without hesitation, head or foot, and buried a long trey. I got it.
It was the type of shot that energized the heaters, much like Maxey scored 12 of Philadelphia’s final 18 regulation points.
Depending on the situation in the coming days, Ms. Maxey has postponed or canceled that celebration outside Penn Plaza No. 4.
“Once you get into a rhythm, it’s hard to slow down,” Tom Thibodeau said.
While much of the attention from fans, media, and the Knicks’ game plan has been on Embiid, Maxey has been their biggest thorn.
He averaged more points (32.4 vs. 31.8), minutes (44.9 vs. 41.6) and assists (7.2 vs. 6.4) than Embiid, and did it with greater efficiency (50 percent shooting vs. 43.5 percent). .
Nearly four years after the Knicks inherited the Kentucky product in the 2020 draft, Maxey won the Most Valuable Player award before being traded to New York.
At the time, the organization was going all-in on Calipari, but Maxey went to a district foe, and Leon Rose instead acquired Obi Toppin and Maxey’s Kentucky teammate, Immanuel Quickley.
So far, Tom Thibodeau has not come up with an effective solution to slowing down Maxey. Part of that is by design, with the Knicks getting a double every time Embiid touches the ball in the post and an assist every time he leaves Maxey, but the other part is the Sixers’ point guard destroying defenses. It’s just that.
It’s a matter of New York’s numerical disadvantage in the series. The Knicks only have one All-Star (Jalen Brunson).
The Sixers have two.
“We did some things differently [against Maxey]” Branson said. “But he continued to adjust, because good players always know when to adjust.”
In the final Knicks-Sixers matchup of the regular season, Thibodeau’s game plan was to stick Donte DiVincenzo on Maxey. However, it was waived from the first game of the playoffs.
Instead, the Knicks started with Maxey’s OG Anunoby, perhaps seeing him as too slow, and pivoted primarily to Miles McBride or Josh Hart.
No one is consistently successful.
McBride in the fourth quarter of Game 4 probably provided his best defense ever, but his fourth quarter defense in Game 5 was probably his worst.
McBride is good at denying and chasing Maxey without the ball — a skill the young Knick displayed in the regular season when he held off Stephen Curry — but he gets beaten off the dribble and Embiid. Unable to break through the 300-pound screen.
At the end of Tuesday’s regulation, McBride would have fouled Maxey before making the game-tying 3-pointer, and just before that, McBride hit Embiid with a 4-point shot against Mitchell. Add two potential mental blunders that should have gone under the screen. ROBINSON — And it was a really tough night at MSG.
“Just with post-game management, we should have all been on the same page and talked and communicated more,” McBride said. “[Maxey] I just made a great shot. ”
If Philadelphia has running room at guard, it’s highly unlikely that Hart will stay in front of Maxey. Maxie is too fast. Robinson replacing Maxey would be a terrible matchup for the Knicks.
According to NBA player tracking data, Maxey’s shots against primary defenders in the series are:
vs. Hart: 44 points, 17-of-28 from the field.
vs. McBride: 34 points, 14-of-27 from the field.
vs. Robinson: 26 points, 9-of-14 from the field.
vs. Anunoby: 13 points, 5-of-13 from the field.
vs. Hartenstein: 15 points, 6-of-14 field goals
The two-man game between Maxey and Embiid has been a big problem for the Knicks, who have been looking at Maxey’s performance and are selling to stop Embiid.
“Every single possession, they’re giving me doubles in the post, which is good,” Embiid said. “We’re just going to keep making the right plays, trust that they’re going to knock down shots. And they’re going to get into the gaps even more and try to put pressure on me, so I’m trying to decoy myself there. … Tyrese will come in and make wide open layups, make shots and drive.”
What are the possible solutions?
Understanding Embiid’s declining health allows the Knicks to shift pressure away from the center and onto the point guard. Pick up the 94-foot Maxey, deny him the ball, and make sure he doesn’t run into the runway to show off his elite speed.
Or they could put Embiid with a smaller, more versatile defender, whether it’s Anunoby or Precious Achiuwa. That way, you won’t always be sitting ducks against Maxey when you need to be substituted off-screen.
Either way, it’s virtually impossible to stop a player as red-hot as Maxey at the end of Game 5.
It’s because of him that the Knicks headed down the New Jersey Turnpike for another hard-fought battle instead of resting at home to prepare for the Eastern Conference semifinals.
And the Knicks, hoping to avoid a Game 7, must once again face their biggest question of the series.
“He’s a great player, but it’s our responsibility,” Anunoby said. “We have to execute better and we will be better.”
