Everything seemed perfect as Knicks fans were ready to celebrate at a celebrity-packed Madison Square Garden this Tuesday. The clock was ticking and New York had a rather comfortable lead late in the fourth quarter, and there was a general feeling that the Manhattan club was off to the second round of the playoffs. However, Tyrese Maxey wasn’t willing to let that happen.
With 25 seconds to the final buzzer, the Sixers guard saved his team from elimination with seven points. His last shot of regulation was a perfect three pointer from far beyond the arc, which pushed the game to overtime and eventually to victory.
“Going through my mind right there was just, find a way to survive,” Maxey recalled of those last seconds before tying the contest. “Like, we had to. Our season on the line.”
TYRESE MAXEY MY GOODNESS
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) May 1, 2024
Now that the 76ers took home this important triumph and set the series 3-2, they are suddenly thinking about advancing. Tyrese ended the game with 46 points to his name, and will probably never forget how he stunned the Manhattan arena, who thought that had the win in their hands.
“It was a tough way to lose because you get up six, eight and then we had a couple turnovers and we’ve got to just be better,” said Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau. “Play tougher with the lead, use good judgment. Fourth quarter is different, understand the difference. So we can do better and we will.”
Rival tactician Nick Nurse recalled encouraging the All-Star to take chances. “I think that considering that our No. 1 option was struggling, for him to say, ‘All right, I got to put this team on my back and go,’ I just kept encouraging him, like, to take his chances, take his shots, make plays,” he said. “And he certainly did it and got in a rhythm and made a whole bunch of them.”
Co-star Joel Embiid is now excited as he gets to return to MSG at least one more time. “It’s not hostile,” the big man assured. “I mean, I love New York. New York is one of my favorite cities in the world. I have (had) a place here for the past five years. I just love New York. And then the fans, when you play against a team, they’re always going to pick that guy and they seem to have picked me, which is fun. I love it.”
Knicks loses primary bench scorer Bojan Bogdanovic to season-ending injury
Even though Mitchell Robinson made his way back to court after missing Game 4 with a sprained left ankle, the Knicks received bad news before the start of their match against Philadelphia. The team announced that Bojan Bogdanovic would have surgery on the left foot he injured in his last appearance and would miss out on the rest of the season.
“Really unfortunate. He was really playing well for us,” coach Thibodeau said when asked about the news. “Injuries are part of the game. Great game. Great worker…. Just unfortunate.”
This means that New York has lost their primary bench scorer for the remainder of the playoffs, as the Bosnian will be “re-evaluated in three months,” while he recovers from this surgery to his left foot.
“You hate to see anyone get hurt. But it’s been our reality all season. Julius being out. Mitch being out. Isaiah [Hartenstein] being out [with Achilles tendinitis],” the Knicks tactician added. “Next guy get in there and get the job done, that’s what we’ve got to do.”
