Tyrese Maxey and the Philadelphia 76ers were staring down what felt like the closing seconds of their 2023–24 season.
Trailing the New York Knicks 3–1 in their first-round playoff series and 96–90 in Game 5, 76ers coach Nick Nurse called a timeout with 28.2 seconds left. Maxey took the reins from there.
Coming out of the timeout, Maxey was fouled by Mitchell Robinson as he drilled a three-pointer. He knocked down the free throw to complete the four-point play.
After Josh Hart missed one of two free-throw attempts at the other end, Maxey splashed a three-pointer from 34 feet, launching from the “E” in New York’s logo at center court.
Maxey himself outscored the Knicks 7–1 in the final 28 seconds to send it to overtime, where the 76ers edged New York 15–9 to win 112–106 and force Game 6 on Thursday at Wells Fargo Center.
The 76ers’ season lives on.
Maxey’s Herculean effort in crunch time had the entire sports world buzzing, from Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James to Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and everyone in between.
The Philadelphia 76ers made an improbable comeback on Tuesday night to force Game 6 of their Eastern Conference Playoffs first round series against the New York Knicks. Tyrese Maxey made two huge three-pointers with the help of a favorable whistle to send the series back to Philadelphia where the team owners are literally giving away tickets in hopes of actually having some sort of home court advantage.
To mae things even more interesting, the NBA announced this morning that Scott Foster would be the crew chief for the pivotal contest, which sent fans into a tizzy. New York fans smelled a conspiracy while Sixers fans saw a great opportunity to force Game 7 because teams trailing in a series seem to have such success with Foster working games that he's been nicknamed "The Extender."
Bill Kennedy and Mark Lindsay will work the game alongside Foster tonight. While neither has the same reputation as Foster, Kennedy is a true personality, especially on the mic during replay reviews.
Hopefully there's enough screen time for everyone involved. Between Foster and Kennedy, there's a great chance that the broadcast will have incredible entertainment value, no matter how good the actual game is.
As long as you're not rooting for the team that loses, because there's a 99% chance you're going to end up complaining about the officials. Especially when you know exactly who to blame.
The NBA postseason is when players forge their legacies—and Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey just solidified his status as a true star with a legacy-defining Game 5 against the New York Knicks.
Maxey thrived during the regular season after being thrust into a bigger role by the departure of James Harden and Joel Embiid’s injury in late January. He averaged a career-best 25.9 points per game—11th in the NBA—and was rewarded by being named the league’s Most Improved Player last week.
With Embiid clearly hobbled by his troublesome left knee, the Sixers needed Maxey to save the day as they faced elimination in Game 5 at Madison Square Garden—and he absolutely did. Maxey hit two of the most clutch shots you’ll ever see in the final 30 seconds of the fourth quarter to send the game to overtime.
The Knicks appeared to have the game wrapped up after Jalen Brunson passed out of a double team to a wide-open Miles McBride, who knocked down a jumper at the foul line to extend the New York lead to six with 28.9 seconds on the clock. But then Maxey took over, and, thanks in part to a couple of errors by the Knicks, saved his team’s season.
First Maxey used a pump fake to get Knicks center Mitchell Robinson to leave his feet and leaned into Robinson to draw the foul as he threw up an off-balance three-point attempt. He got the shot to fall and then hit the ensuing free throw for a four-point play to cut the deficit to two. Then, after Josh Hart missed one of two free throws to leave the door open for a comeback, Maxey buried the shot of the playoffs thus far: a leaning 35-footer to tie the game at 97.
On the Knicks’ home broadcast on MSG Network, play-by-play announcer Mike Breen repeatedly stressed before Philadelphia’s final possession how New York couldn’t allow a three-point attempt and needed to foul the Sixers. But Embiid’s screen near the halfcourt line gave Maxey plenty of space and his decision to shoot it from so far out meant Robinson wasn’t remotely close enough to give the foul.
Maxey’s heroics defined the fourth quarter, but the story of the overtime period was just the Knicks blowing it. They jumped out to a quick five-point lead before the Sixers responded with a 9–0 run. The Knicks managed to tie the game again at 106 but the Sixers scored the final six points of the game to win it. Any chance of a Knicks victory was essentially wiped out when, after New York forced a sloppy Sixers turnover with Philadelphia leading 108–106 with 28 seconds to play, Jalen Brunson turned it right back over with an ill-advised pass.
Maxey finished with 46 points, a playoff career high and the fourth-highest total of his career. He’s averaging 32.4 points, 7.2 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game during the series.
The Sixers will need Maxey to step up again as the series shifts back to Philadelphia for Game 6 on Thursday night. Embiid has had his moments during the series—including a 50-point outburst in Game 3—but his knee was clearly bothering him more in Game 5 than it had previously. He made plenty of great plays, but his mobility was severely lacking. He finished with 19 points on 7-of-19 shooting, 16 rebounds, 10 assists and a staggering nine turnovers, which tied a career worst.
If Embiid’s knee isn’t any better on Thursday, the pressure will be on Maxey to be the hero again and force a Game 7 back in New York. After willing his team to victory on Tuesday, everyone knows he’s capable of that.
New England begins a new era with first-round pick Drake Maye at quarterback.
The New York Rangers lost to the Florida Panthers on Saturday in the Eastern Conference finals, officially ending their shot at making the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. Just a couple weeks prior, the New York Knicks were eliminated from the NBA playoffs. At the beginning of May, the New York Islanders lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
And, the list goes on and on.
With the Rangers' recent elimination, this now marks 100 consecutive combined seasons in which a New York team hasn't won a sports championship in the top four major sports, according to the Associated Press' Josh Dubow. This includes the Rangers, Islanders, Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, Yankees, Mets, Giants and Jets.
Make sure to give your condolences to the next New York fan you see.
The last championship to come from a New York team was in 2011 when the Giants won Super Bowl XLVI. Who will be the next?
