On April 26, Beijing time, the 76ers defeated the Knicks 125-114 at home, and after pulling back a game, the 76ers chased the big score to 1-2, but it was still the backward side, and the 76ers could not be careless, and they must continue to protect their home court, because once they fell behind 1-3, it would be too difficult to complete the big reversal.
In this game, the 76ers were in a three-way game, Embiid showed the dominance of a super center, he scored 18 points in a single quarter in the third quarter, leading the team to defeat the Knicks in waves, and his personal performance was perfect. Maxey has also evolved into a quasi-All-Star level player, he played 41 minutes, 25 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals on 9-of-21 shooting, although the shooting percentage is relatively low, but in the fierce playoffs, it is rare to be able to get such comprehensive data, and, in the first 2 games of the series, Maxey scored 33 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists and 35 points, 9 rebounds and 10 assists, he is only 24 years old this year, and has the opportunity to become a top star in the league, and the next big contract has been stabilized.
Maxi also won the Most Improved Player of the Season award, which is well deserved, and even James sent congratulations. Although Harden is gone, Embiid and Maxey are the cornerstones of this old Eastern team, as long as these two play consistently, the 76ers can compete with any team in the East, and if the referees make the right decision in G2 of the series, the 76ers are now leading 2-1.
The biggest contributor to the 76ers' victory is Embiid, who ruled the restricted area and slashed 50 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists, and shot 13 of 19, 5 of 7 three-pointers, and 19 of 21 free throws, maintaining a relatively high efficiency. After the end of this game, Embiid also set an unprecedented NBA historical record, he became the first center in the NBA 78 years since the founding of the NBA to score 50+ in the playoffs and hit 5 three-pointers, even MVP Jokic did not do it, Chamberlain, Russell, O'Neal and other interior lines who do not have the ability to shoot from a distance are left behind.
Mr. Jokic scored 53 points and 10 assists in a single game in the Western Conference playoffs last year, but his three-point shooting did not reach 5, so Embiid's record, Jokic has not done so far, is full of gold. Embiid and Jokic are the two strongest interior players on the active roster, the two of them have won the MVP for the past three years, and even at the beginning of the 23-24 season, Embiid's individual play was stable for the teacher, but after the injury, he withdrew from the MVP race, if nothing else, this year's MVP belongs to Jokic, who will win the award for the third time in four years.
Moreover, Embiid scored 50 points on 13-of-19 shooting in the playoffs, making him the first in history with less than 20 shots. Jordan, the all-time leading scorer, scored 63 points in the playoffs, which is also the single-game scoring record in the playoffs, but the Flyers have never scored 50 points on fewer than 20 shots. Kobe Bryant scored 50 points in a single game in the first round of G6 of the playoffs in 2006, which was also the only time in Kobe's career that he scored more than 50 points in the playoffs, but he made 35 shots, hit 20 shots, 5 of 8 three-pointers, and was relatively efficient, but Embiid scored 50 points on only 19 shots, which is even more amazing.