What was supposed to be a first round of the NBA playoffs turned into a fight for referee privilege.
The Philadelphia 76ers say they aren’t getting enough calls. So do the New York Knicks. Nobody is happy, a sentiment that has blocked strategic intrigue in what is becoming a vitriolic confrontation.
Finally, after a few hard-fought games that the Knicks won, the Sixers picked up their first victory, a 125-114 win on Thursday that cut their series deficit to 2-1. Over the next 24 hours, discussions surrounded those responsible.
The Knicks brought the referees into the conversation first. When they went into Game 1, they added referee trend statistics to the game notes they gave to the media, a decision that angered both the 76ers and the league office.
Then came the drama: a messy final few minutes of Game 2, a crazy report in the last two minutes that said Tyrese Maxey was fouled twice in the last 30 seconds even though it wasn’t called, a grievance no 76ers official, a blatant game 3. and numerous fouls on Joel Embiid, who helped the reigning MVP reach a playoff career-high 50 points on just 19 shot attempts on Thursday.
But in the midst of this battle to win favor with NBA official Zach Zarba, another plot has arisen: The 76ers and Knicks are embroiled in a tight playoff series. Instead of stressing about fouls or non-fouls or who benefits the most from the whistle, let’s break down basketball a little.
Here are five trends to watch as the Knicks and 76ers prepare for Game 4 at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday in Philadelphia:
Everyone scores
For all the talk on both sides about blown whistles, it’s not like the teams had trouble scoring.
Embiid complained that he didn’t receive enough rude calls. Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau did so on behalf of his best player, Jalen Brunson. And yet, a quick scroll through the league’s playoff leaders shows two names atop the NBA in free throw attempts per game: Embiid is first and Brunson is second.
Meanwhile, both of their teams can’t stop scoring.
Because the pace has been slow, it’s not so obvious, but the Knicks and 76ers’ offenses have overpowered defenders. These two teams rank first and second in the NBA in points per possession in the playoffs.
The Knicks dominated not only shooting but also on the boards. Josh Hart refuses to miss 3s. The group has made over 40 percent of its deep balls in three games. More importantly, he’s grabbing rebounds on 40 percent of his missed shots, a monstrous start to the series. For perspective, no team has had that many offensive rebounds in a playoff series since the 2013-14 Houston Rockets.
Demolishing the Portland Trail Blazers on the glass wasn’t enough for the Rockets to survive this series, which ended in six games on a buzzer-beater from Damian Lillard. The 76ers are trying to wipe out the Knicks the same way.
They marched to the free throw line. Maxey divided New York with his speed and step-backs. Meanwhile, Embiid shows why he’s more than just a low-post giant or foul-baiter. Playing with a still-injured knee, he relied more on his jumper. All he did in that span was hit 38 percent of his 3s and 12 of his 20 shots from mid-range.
Targeting Brunson
An unfortunate theme for the Knicks emerged during the third quarter of Game 3.
The Sixers caught fire, roaring to 43 points on 17-of-22 shooting overall and 9-of-12 long-range shooting. And the way they created many of those looks, the ones that wove their jump shots into silk, was with a needle poking the Knicks’ best player.
Philadelphia placed Brunson in numerous screening actions during the third period. The Knicks didn’t respond well enough.
Once the Sixers forced Brunson — who had 39 points, making Game 3 his best of the series — to pass to one of their best offensive players, they attacked. On one play early in the second half, they forced Brunson on Embiid, who threw him a nonchalant jumper. Brunson is a foot shorter than the reigning MVP, too small to hamper his shooting.
Shortly after, the 76ers forced Brunson to pass to Maxey, who scored a step-back 3-pointer on him. Maxey’s stepback, a carryover from when James Harden was his teammate, has become one of the best in the league. Give him space, and it’s a good move.
Philadelphia continued to go after Brunson.
The Knicks could rearrange matchups in Game 4. They could refuse to concede changes so easily. Either way, there could be some type of adjustment from how they defended during this period when the Sixers went away primarily because of their own actions. It takes impressive shooting to drain nine 3s in a quarter. But the little resistance provided by Brunson didn’t help.
Keeping Embiid
The person who deserves the most credit for Embiid’s 50-point performance in Game 3 isn’t the referee. It’s Embiid. Has there ever been a player his size who could injure his knee, move away from a more physical style because of it, and still gain so many points just because of a hot jumper?
Embiid shot 13 of 19 in this game; 10 of his creations came from outside painting. He sank 5 of 7 3-point attempts and 5 of 6 mid-range shots. The Knicks were facing him in several of those games. That didn’t stop him from making shot after shot.
But, as Thibodeau reiterated after Game 3, the Knicks can do better.
It makes you wonder if Mitchell Robinson will play on Sunday. New York’s reserve center left Thursday’s game at halftime after spraining his left ankle, the same one that underwent surgery in December. The team won’t release the injury report until Saturday afternoon.
If Robinson sits, defending Embiid becomes more difficult.
The Knicks have avoided teaming up the 7-footer throughout this series, instead using Isaiah Hartenstein and Robinson, two defensive centers, to push him out of the paint and keep the big guy alone.
What they can’t do is invade Embiid’s space, something Hartenstein was caught doing more than once in Game 3, when he and Robinson both got into trouble early.
“I should have done a better job knowing how much talk there was before (Game 3) about (officiating),” Hartenstein said. “I was just trying to be physical, doing my usual thing. They just called more fouls. But that’s more up to me. It’s not really the responsibility of the referees.
One of Hartenstein’s biggest defensive developments this season was how he reduced fouling, which allowed him to play more minutes and helped him against guys like Embiid. He attributes the adjustment to protecting more with his chest and feet than his hands.
A defender needs to be especially aware of this when handling a preeminent foul shooter such as Embiid, who shot 19 of 21 from the line in Game 3.
The best defensive possession on Embiid on Thursday didn’t come from either of the Knicks’ two regular big men. Shortly after Precious Achiuwa entered the game, the first time he took the court during this series, he faced Embiid one-on-one. Robinson wasn’t ruled out yet, but he and Hartenstein were both struggling.
The Knicks needed a scrappy Achiuwa moment.
That’s what they got. Watch him defend Embiid with his hands up, not out, making it harder for Embiid to foul:
Achiuwa provided huge minutes throughout the first half. He blocked a shot on help defense and hit an offensive board that led to a second-chance bucket, all while making this defensive play on Embiid. If he has to play Game 4, the Knicks will need more.
Hartenstein’s floats
Hartenstein hasn’t eclipsed 33 minutes in a game in nearly three months. If Robinson can’t play in Game 4, this trend may have to end on Sunday.
Whether he plays 20 or 40 minutes, it’s worth watching how the Sixers defend him.
Philadelphia mostly kept Hartenstein with Embiid, releasing Embiid near the rim on pick-and-rolls. This has allowed Hartenstein to navigate to his most comfortable zones, six or eight feet from the edge, where he can raise those floats really high.
The 25-year-old first became familiar with the teardrop when he was little. His father, Florian Hartenstein, who played professionally in Germany, was an old-school big man, a gritty rebounder and post defender. But Florian wanted his son to create better opportunities for himself. He wanted him to be more competent.
One of the first moves he taught Isaiah was this float. Now, this is one of Hartenstein’s favorite moves when a defense exposes the belly of the paint.
The Knicks figured out how to turn it into a weapon.
Over the past six quarters, Hartenstein has attempted 11 floaters. He made nine. His teammates found him out of the pick-and-roll or when rushing into the paint from the baseline. Embiid is at his best guarding around the rim, but if Hartenstein continues to splash in those push shots, are the Sixers making more of an effort to force him elsewhere?
Hart’s shot
Josh Hart’s new shooting twist has the origin story of a Marvel hero. Not long ago, he couldn’t put on a sweater at all, let alone make one.
Earlier this month, while dealing with a right wrist injury, Hart was completely reluctant to shoot. He didn’t attempt a 3 for a game and a half. The moment that ended the streak may have also inadvertently made him the next JJ Redick.
As the halftime buzzer sounded during a game in Milwaukee, Hart fired a full-court shot toward the basket. He missed but he said that night he felt his wrist snap back into place after he released it. Before the third quarter began, he approached Brunson.
“I can shoot 3 seconds now,” he told her.
Not even Hart must have known how extreme this would become.
Hart made four 3s in each of the first three games of this series. He is now 12 of 23 (52%) from deep against the Sixers. But he didn’t get hot early in the playoffs, even though he wasn’t shooting as much at the end of the regular season. The streak started then in Milwaukee.
Since Hart told Brunson he can shoot 3s now, he’s 17 of 34 from downtown.
It’s as if the basketball gods chose to remake the movie “Rookie of the Year” with someone who was already a pro.
(Photo by Isaiah Hartenstein, Joel Embiid and OG Anunoby: Elsa/Getty Images)