Kristian Winfield: If 76ers were a matchup nightmare, Knicks missed the memo

No Sixer defender cared to contest — because what’s the difference between 74 and 71 points when your team’s only mustered 51 in response?

Of course, Brunson’s 3-pointer ripped through the net to send MSG into pure euphoria entering the first halftime break of its second playoff series. Of course, Edgecombe, who’d held Brunson to less than 42% shooting from the field during individual regular-season matchups, led the defensive charge in a 27-point barrage from the Knicks’ captain through the opening two quarters alone. Of course the Sixers would go so far hunting Embiid foul calls — in fairness, it worked — that they sacrificed offensive flow in the process. And of course Mike Brown pulled Mitchell Robinson, who missed four straight free throws when the 76ers began intentionally fouling him in the first quarter, only to continue extending the lead despite the Sixers’ attempts at stifling his rotation.

Of course the Knicks, who won their previous three games by 16, 29, and 51-point margins, beat the Sixers in a game they led by as many as 40. Of course, for a second game in a row, they scored 100 points before their opponent could put up 72.

Even though Embiid is the best individual player on the floor, the Knicks are the far better team. It’s why the front office traded five first-round picks for Mikal Bridges, who smothered Maxey on one end and delivered one of his more consistent offensive performances on the other. It’s why they traded Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo for Towns two summers ago — because Towns is just as gifted of a passer as Randle with a sweeter shooting stroke and a seven-foot frame. It’s why they bolstered a bench ranking dead-last in scoring last season — because the Knicks’ bench trumps the Sixers’ in every possible aspect.

And it’s why James Dolan said in January this team absolutely has to make the NBA Finals — and “should” win a title outright. Because the Knicks might be the most complete team in the Eastern Conference.

It’s the Knicks who were the nightmare matchup for the 76ers, not the other way around.

Such a nightmare, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse waved the white flag and pulled most of his starting lineup with several minutes remaining in the third quarter. Such a nightmare, the Sixers — in a likely futile effort — have attempted to ban Knicks fans from infiltrating the Xfinity Mobile Arena for Games 3 and 4 by restricting ticket purchases via geolocation services.

Monday crammed an extra battery into the back of a franchise angling to make its first NBA Finals appearance since 1999. The Knicks are all charged-up. And when they’re on, there’s no telling how far they can go.

When the Knicks are on, they’re better than most teams hunting an elusive NBA title. When they’re on, a team like the Sixers doesn’t belong in the same breath — or in the same room. Or in the same category as teams with a puncher’s shot at winning the long-perceived wide-open East.

The Knicks are for real, so real “We want Kolek!” chants peppered The Garden floors midway through the fourth quarter, the ultimate sign of disrespect to a Sixers team that had already conceded defeat on the night. Of course, Brown obliged the crowd’s request for second-year point guard Tyler Kolek.

The Sixers better learn the sophomore playmaker’s name. At this rate, they’ll see a lot of him.

They had also better get a head start on packing for Cancun. Because this is the Knicks’ world, and the Sixers are merely living in it. It’s bright, sandy, and sunny with a far nicer view where the 76ers are headed in the coming week.