It's official. The New York Knicks will play their division rival in the first round of the 2024 playoffs. In the past two years, the Knicks have played the team with a player they were "linked" to in trade rumors the previous offseason. New York was actively engaged in trade talks for Donovan Mitchell in 2022 and was reportedly interested in Joel Embiid amid the James Harden saga in 2023.
It's the first time since 1989 that the Knicks and Sixers will meet in the postseason. It'll be nerve-wracking for fans of both teams, but it should be one of the most entertaining first-round matchups.
What are Sixers saying about Knicks ahead of 2024 first-round playoff series?
After Philadelphia knocked off Miami in the Play-In Tournament, the Sixers discussed the challenge of playing the Knicks. The first thing Nick Nurse said about New York is that the team is "for real."
"I think they've earned that seed. They've played really well and beaten a lot of good teams, so we'll have our work to do here in the next couple of days to get ready for them."
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 18, 2024
- Nick Nurse on the Knicks pic.twitter.com/MiCRzJkHrN
Tyrese Maxey addressed the Knicks' 3-1 regular season advantage over the Sixers. He called Brunson the "head of the snake" and said New York plays "hard and tough."
"They kicked our tails in the regular season, so it's time to go in there and fight."
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 18, 2024
Tyrese Maxey shares his thoughts on the Knicks and their first-round matchup with the 76ers: pic.twitter.com/7T7jlGTTf1
Tobias Harris said guarding Brunson will be challenging, but he and his teammates will be able to "figure it out."
Tobias Harris talks about the challenges of defending Jalen Brunson:
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 18, 2024
"We obviously have gone against him, but our hands are full. We'll be able to figure it out." pic.twitter.com/EzyztS3c8w
Kelly Oubre. Jr. and Nicolas Batum also spoke highly of Brunson. Batum said the point guard is having an "MVP season."
"They're a great, JB's a great player, but at the end of the day, it's gonna be Philadelphia vs. New York. We've just got to come ready to play and stop them."
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 18, 2024
Kelly Oubre on Knicks-76ers: pic.twitter.com/oSw5x6WT10
"They got our number this year. They came in twice in this place and pretty much kicked our butt twice... Brunson is having an MVP season right now."
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 18, 2024
- Nicolas Batum on the Knicks pic.twitter.com/N9Gk289Nbj
Philadelphia showed respect to New York but made it clear that the Sixers will be ready to fight when the ball is tipped on Saturday.
Paul Reed is the outlier, as he's the one who said something that could come back to haunt Philadelphia.
76ers Forward Paul Reed on winning the play-in game last night:
— KnicksMuse (@KnicksMuse) April 18, 2024
“Yeah we wanted the Knicks matchup, that's the easier team..."
(via @RunItBackFDTV) pic.twitter.com/iDMU675TYm
If the Sixers had lost Wednesday's game, they would've had to beat the Bulls to get the No. 8 seed, meaning Philadelphia would've played Boston in the first round. It's hard to argue against the Knicks being an "easier" matchup than the No. 1 Celtics, but Reed should've thought twice before he said that out loud.
The Knicks didn't need more bulletin board material, but they got it!