The 76ers Built a Superteam. It Still Doesn’t Solve the Knicks
September 9, 2026
AI Summary
5 min readThe host of Locked On Knicks runs a tier-based thought experiment: rank every team in the NBA by how likely they are to beat the New York Knicks in a seven-game playoff series, assuming full health. The central claim is that the Knicks have no coin-flip opponent in the Eastern Conference and only one in the entire league—and it is not the Philadelphia 76ers. The argument rests on roster construction, defensive matchups, and the difference between regular-season depth and playoff ceiling.
Why the 76ers Are Not the Real Threat
The host places the 76ers in the "Knicks Edge" tier, meaning the Knicks win about 60% of the time. The reasoning is that Philadelphia built a deep regular-season roster designed to survive Joel Embiid’s inevitable absences, but that same depth becomes a liability in the playoffs when everyone is healthy. "When everyone's healthy, now you have a bunch of redundancies," the host says. Players like Paul George and LeBron James (in this hypothetical) are less impactful when they do not have the ball in their hands. A spot-up shooter or a pure wing defender might be more valuable than an aging star who needs to be the offensive fulcrum to justify his presence. The host argues that the Knicks have the wing defenders—OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart—to handle those stars, and that Karl-Anthony Towns remains a matchup problem Philadelphia cannot solve. T
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What you'll learn
- 1 Tier List: Which Teams Can Beat the Knicks in a Seven-Game Series?
- 2 (01:35) **Episode Introduction & Tier System Explained** - Host XJ reintroduces his tier list for ranking Eastern Conference teams by their chances of beating the Knicks in a playoff series
- 3 (03:44) **Philadelphia 76ers: "Knicks Edge"** - Despite the Sixers' deep roster on paper, the host argues they're overrated as a playoff threat to New York
- 4 (07:00) **Toronto Raptors: "Knicks Edge"** - The Raptors (assuming a Kawhi trade) are actually a tougher test than the Sixers due to elite defensive construction
- 5 (10:05) **Washington Wizards: "We Got This"** - The retooled Wizards have some interesting pieces but aren't a real threat to the Knicks
- 6 (15:46) **Dallas Mavericks: "Be Serious"** - Cooper Flagg is a future superstar, but it's too soon for him to carry a team past the Knicks
- 7 (17:15) **Denver Nuggets: "Knicks Edge"** - Jokic is still Jokic, but the Knicks matchup well and the Nuggets organization is fundamentally mismanaged
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Show Notes
The New York Knicks dominate the NBA Opps Tier List: can any team challenge their supremacy in a seven-game series? XJ pulls no punches, ranking top contenders like the Philadelphia 76ers and a rebuilt Toronto Raptors squad led by Kawhi Leonard, while breaking down playoff matchups and identifying key threats.
The conversations focus on Karl-Anthony Towns' impact, the Knicks’ wing defense featuring OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart, and whether teams like the Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, and Minnesota Timberwolves have what it takes to unsettle Jalen Brunson and company.
XJ issues bold takes on Trae Young’s Wizards, LaMelo Ball's and Anthony Edwards’ Timberwolves, and Luka Doncic's Lakers, and pushing listeners to question: are the Timberwolves actually a true coin-flip opponent for the Knicks?
00:00 – Knicks Opponent Tier List Part 2!
1:09 – Tier List Rules
2:30 – Philadelphia 76ers vs Knicks
5:49– Toronto Raptors vs Knicks
8:49 – Washington Wizards vs Knicks
12:12 – FanDuel Ad Break
14:13 – Dallas Mavericks vs Knicks
15:33 – Denver Nuggets vs Knicks
17:46 – Golden State Warriors vs Knicks
19:25 – Houston Rockets vs Knicks
21:48 – Square Ad Break
23:17 — Third Segmenters, Stand Up!
24:03 – Los Angeles Clippers vs Knicks
26:20 – Los Angeles Lakers vs Knicks
28:02 – Memphis Grizzlies vs Knicks
29:20 – Minnesota Timberwolves vs Knicks
33:07 – Thanks and please subscribe!
Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea; Vincent Carchietta; Brett Davis; - Imagn Images
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