“Gonna be a dogfight”: Tyrese Maxey lays bare Knicks-76ers playoff battle ahead

Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey had a line straight out of Top Gun: Maverick to outline the gravitas of the first-round playoff battle between his side and the New York Knicks.

The Sixers grabbed the No. 7 seed with a narrow 105-104 victory over the Miami Heat at the Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday. They will face the second-seeded Knicks, led by Jalen Brunson, in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The 76ers were led by Joel Embiid's 23 points and fifteen rebounds while Maxey had a field day chipping in with 19 points and six assists.

Speaking to the media in the aftermath of the win about facing the New York Knicks, much like Miles Teller would, Maxey compared the game to a dogfight.

"Honestly it starts w/ the head of the snake…Jalen Brunson…been remarkable. Gotta slow him down 1st…Then…behind him really good shooting, OG, Donte…the big fellas…Gotta go out there & be extremely aggressive man. It's gonna be a dogfight, we know that…"

Embiid's return from surgery has been a blessing for Philly, as they now have the dominant two-way force that was missing when he was on the mend. Meanwhile, Maxey was the team's offensive force averaging 25.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 6.2 assists. The Sixers will rely heavily on maintaining this level of production if they intend to get past the Knicks in the playoffs.

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Tyrese Maxey joins Kyrie Irving to mark landmark achievement this season

One of the most impressive stat this season for Tyrese Maxey was averaging less than two turnovers per game. This put him alongside Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving as one of the two players to prop up 25 points and five assists with less than two TOs. This marks the first-of-its-kind achievement in league history for an entire season.

Following James Harden's move to the LA Clippers, Maxey was thrust into a major role this season as the Sixers’ lead guard. He’s consistently worked on being more than a shooter making plays and calling the shots in Embiid's absence, and that earned him his maiden All-Star selection.

Philadelphia has always been a playoff contender but has seen the silverware elude the franchise. Now, they will have to fend off the Knicks first to make another deeper run. Only time will tell if Tyrese Maxey and Embiid can propel the side to the NBA Finals.