Previewing the 1st round of the NBA playoffs, which start on Saturday
Preview capsules for the first round of the NBA playoffs, which start Saturday.
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EASTERN CONFERENCE
No. 2 NEW YORK KNICKS (50-32) vs. No. 7 PHILADELPHIA 76ERS (47-35)
Season series: Knicks, 3-1.
Story line: The Knicks finished with their best record and highest seed since winning 54 games in 2012-13. They didn’t get much of a reward for that, with the opponent being a 76ers team that surged after Joel Embiid returned from knee surgery, winning their final eight games of the regular season and then edging Miami in the play-in tournament to earn the No. 7 seed.
Key matchup: Jalen Brunson vs. Tyrese Maxey. Both guards were first-time All-Stars and capable of putting up big scoring numbers. Maxey had three 50-point games during the regular season. Brunson had 11 40-point performances, tying Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing for second-most by a Knicks player in a single season, and was fourth in the league with 28.7 per game.