O Knicks‘ Game 5 loss to the 76ersA surprising 112-106 overtime win at MSG on Tuesday left a bitter taste for New York after missing a chance to close out the first-round series.
Both sides, on opposite ends of a wild finish that saw the Knicks squander leads in the fourth quarter and overtime, appeared ready to turn the page in the aftermath.
“It’s frustrating, obviously, the way it happened,” he said. Jalen Brunson, whose 40 points, the best on the team, were not enough to overcome the mistakes made at the end of New York. “But we can’t lower our heads. We have to come back stronger and be ready to go and learn from what we’ve done.”
Tom Thibodeauwhose team pulled off an improbable 104-101 win last Monday to steal Game 2 from Philadelphia, shared the same sentiments as Game 6 approaches Thursday at the Wells Fargo Center.
“Whether you win or lose, the next day, go in, watch the film and make your corrections,” Thibodeau said. “There are things we need to fix. Fix them. Prepare for the next game. Understand what it takes to prepare to win a game. That should never change.”
While the Knicks avoid a two-day snowball effect, Tyrese Maxey – fresh off a game-high 46 points, including game-saving buckets in the final moments of regulation – back to the drawing board with New York still holding a 3-2 lead.
“I know this is cliché or something, but I’m trying to close out the game,” Maxey said. “I know what we have to do in 48 hours and we can’t let this slide. We have to watch this as a whole new game. Our season is back on the line.”
The best-of-seven set returns to the New Jersey Turnpike, where the Knicks fan base maintained a notable presence in Games 3 and 4.
“I loved it,” he said Joel Embiid, whom New York fans were met with boos every time he touched the ball en route to his 19 points on 7-of-19 shooting. “If I have to be the punching bag and listen to ‘F Embiid’ a lot, that’s fine. I love it.”
