Jalen Brunson speaks after sweeping the Philadelphia 76ers.
The New York Knicks swept the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday, running their playoff win streak to seven straight games.
Game four was not competitive with the Knicks scoring a 144-114 victory. They won three of the four games by double digits, including a 137-98 victory in game one.
In game four, the Sixers jumped out to a 2-0 lead. It was the last lead they have in the game. The Knicks went on a 35-16 run after the Sixers got the first basket and never looked back, leading 43-24 at the end of the first.
They led by as many as 44 in the close out contest.
Jalen Brunson Speaks
Closing out a team is often said to be the hardest thing to do in a series, but the Knicks have made it look easy in both of their tries in the playoffs.
In the first round against the Atlanta Hawks, the Knicks won game six to win the series, 140-89.
Combine the two games and the Knicks have beaten the Hawks and Sixers by 81 points in games where the latter two teams were playing with their season on the line.
"The energy that we have. The focus is really important. It is a difficult game, but we have to find a way and stay poised and locked in. That's what we have each other for," Brunson said about the team mindset in closeout games.
Brunson and Miles McBride led the charge in game four, combining for 23 points in the first quarter, just one shy of matching the total of the entire Sixers team in the first 12 minutes.
Brunson had 11 points to go along with three rebounds and three assists in the first quarter. He finished the game 22 points, knocking down six threes.
Knicks Rolling
After falling behind 2-1 in their series against the Hawks, the Knicks have won seven straight games. Their average margin of victory is 26.4 points. The closest game they've played was game two against the Sixers, which was a six point victory. Every other victory in the playoffs has come by double digits. Their two losses to the Hawks were by one point each.
Simply put, aside from the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have yet to lose a playoff game, there has not been a more dominant team in the playoffs than the Knicks.
And as good as the Thunder has been, even they have not decimated opponents to the level of New York.