By Bill Allen
Photo provided by Bill Allen/Perception Media
The New York Knicks are playing basketball like it's 1999. That was the last time the NBA's New York Knicks closed out a first-round playoff series.
The Knicks beat the Philadelphia 76ers with their own Philly connection.
The two-time Villanova University alums, Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart, and Jalen Brunson have found that groove. I know that the Knicks made the playoffs in 2011 and 2013, but they were quickly eliminated by the Boston Celtics. Boston eliminated the Miami Heat this year.
The Philadelphia 76ers did not have the depth or skilled players to match up with the determined veterans, no longer NBA rookies, on a mission. It took five games to beat a Philadelphia "Trust the Process" team with Joel Embiid, a center who wants to be anything but a center or paint defender in the NBA, and a never-give-up point guard, Tyrese Maxey.
The Knicks have a few more games before they can be called Conference Champions, Division Champions, or even NBA Champions. The goal is to do something that has not been done since 1970 and 1973.
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