Even though they lost three of their four duels against Knicks this season, the Sixers are quite happy to challenge Jalen Brunson and his gang, rather than the Celtics, in the first round.
“Coach Thibodeau, he prepares his guys to play hard, to play with intensity for 48 minutes” explains Kelly Oubre Jr. ahead of Game 1next night (00:00). “They take pride in their defense, and Jalen Brunson is the head of the snake for them, with some really good stuff around him. “Being more physical, I think that’s the main lesson I’ve learned from what we achieved against them this year.”
Philadelphia's only victory against New York was obtained by an extremely low score (79-73), especially for the current NBA, without Joel Embiid or Tyrese Maxey.
To win at Madison Square Garden, Kelly Oubre Jr. and his partners defended the lead, limiting Jalen Brunson to 19 points at 6/22 shooting, including 1/9 from distance. Tom Thibodeau had also complained about the shock treatment reserved by the Sixers for his playmaker. But for “KOJ”, it is undoubtedly the right recipe.
Madison Square Garden, always a unique place
“The game is based on physics and you also have to be intelligent”adds Kelly Oubre Jr. “You have to stay lucid while being physical and playing basketball that resembles (American) football. I think it will be the team with the highest IQ, that can make changes and counter that aggression (that will win)… At the end of the day, Coach Nurse is a magician when it comes to understanding plans game and prepare ourselves. So I'm going to listen to everything he has to say and apply it. »
For the Sixers, the idea is undoubtedly that the Knicks are one of the most physical teams of the regular season, and that they do not necessarily have much margin on this point. By raising the cursor for their part, Joel Embiid and his teammates hope to derail their opponents.
But for that, you will have to take at least one match in the boiling Madison Square Garden…
“The fans are crazy there” laughs Kelly Oubre Jr. “They have a culture that pushes them to do crazy things and they really love basketball. It's called the basketball mecca for something. The lights are really very strong. And they give celebrities really expensive tickets to attend, even if they don't care about the game at all. But it's like that. It’s going to be really fun and I can’t wait. It’s one of my favorite rooms.”
