Knicks-76ers series undergoes twist

JERSEY CITY, New Jersey – The NBA playoff opening-round series between the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers took a dramatic turn after the Last 2 Minute Report revealed missed calls that could have altered the wild ending of Game 2.

The Knicks went up 2-0 following a controversial 104-101 victory in Game 2 of the “Turnpike series”, referring to the toll roads that connect the “City That Never Sleeps” and the “City of Brotherly Love.”

The Last 2 Minute Report found the Knicks committing two fouls on 76ers All-Star point guard Tyrese Maxey during the mad scramble for the loose ball that led to Knicks swingman Donte DiVincenzo drilling the game-winning 3-pointer in the final 13 seconds of Game 2. 

“We’ve got to let it go,” Maxey told Inside the NBA host Ernie Johnson after accepting his Most Improved Player of the Year award. “We had our time to grieve about it. That’s the past. Like y’all have said, they protect the home court. We have to do the same.

So, it is what it is. We’ve got to let it go. We can’t dwell on it now. If we dwell on it, in a couple of days, we’ll be down 0-3. We don’t want to be down 0-3.  We can’t leave the games in other people’s hands. We’ve got to go out there and take it.”

Joel Embiid, the reigning Most Valuable Player, vowed the 76ers would win the series after they squandered a five-point lead inside the final 30 seconds of Game 2. 

“We should be (up) 2-0, so we’re good,” Embiid told reporters after Monday’s loss (Tuesday Manila time). “We should be winning this series. We’re going to win this. We know what we’ve got to fix. We did a better job today, so we’re going to fix it. But we’re the better team and we’re going to keep fighting.”

Embiid, bothered by a left knee injury, was still a dominant force in the first two games, averaging 31.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 6.5 assists. But his limited mobility hurt the 76ers when it mattered. 

Embiid averaged just 5.5 points on a dismal 18.2% shooting during the fourth quarter in both losses to the Knicks. Worse, he did not pull any rebound in both closing periods.

While Embiid is unfazed, the 76ers face an uphill climb as they have never won a playoff series when trailing 0-2. 

The way