Trap game: How the Knicks are trying to unplug the electric Tyrese Maxey

Tyrese Maxey saw it coming.

Less than four minutes into Game 2, he’d just rebounded a missed corner 3 by Josh Hart and turned upcourt. With his Philadelphia 76ers trailing by one — in both the game and the series — he knew he needed to make something happen. And he knew the New York Knicks weren’t particularly keen on letting him do that.

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As he crossed half-court, Maxey was greeted by the placid countenance and exceedingly long arms of Mikal Bridges, his primary matchup for nearly all of the first two games of the Eastern Conference semifinals. They faced off as Maxey dribbled on the right wing, about 35 feet away from the basket, and called for a ball screen.

Andre Drummond ambled up to set it. That’s important, because while Andre Drummond is a great many things — a historically excellent rebounder, a person nicknamed “Big Penguin” for reasons even he doesn’t understand, someone who became a shockingly good corner 3-point shooter 14 years into his career, etc. — he is not Joel Embiid.

Embiid, even in his injury-ravaged form, remains one of the most lethally efficient scorers in the world — someone you’d have to worry about torching your defense if you left him alone. Drummond, corner triples and tip-toe tip-ins aside, is not. But Embiid wasn’t available in Game 2, so, here comes Andre.

The Knicks are cranking up the heat on 76ers All-Star Tyrese Maxey. (Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)

(Dustin Satloff via Getty Images)

This is why, as Drummond approached Maxey, his defender did, too. Rather than playing drop coverage in the pick-and-roll — a tactic that would call for him to stay below the level of the screen and sink back toward the paint, with walling off a drive and protecting the rim as his primary objectives — Karl-Anthony Towns sprinted up toward the sideline, stationing himself on Maxey’s right-hand side.

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Before Drummond could even fully set his screen, Maxey leapt and fired a pass across the width of the court to Paul George. He quickly swung it to Kelly Oubre Jr., guarded by Jalen Brunson — the weak link on a New York defense that has ranked fourth…

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Author : Dan Devine

Publish date : 2026-05-08 16:22:00

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