Nick Nurse is already shifting his focus toward the New York Knicks after leading the Philadelphia 76ers to a gritty Game 7 victory over the Boston Celtics. The head coach acknowledged the difficult road ahead, noting that the Knicks present a unique challenge due to their size and a starting lineup he described as “incredible.”
According to a post shared on X by Kristian Winfield, Nurse reflected on the regular-season series, asking, “What did we go 2-2 against them? Nobody could win at home?“ He emphasized that New York has bolstered their bench and can adapt to different styles, stating, “They can play one-big, two bigs. Brunson’s obviously a big problem.”
The coach made it clear that the physical nature of the upcoming series will be a primary concern for his squad. “The rebounding’s a big problem. A much bigger team in general all-around than we just saw,” Nurse remarked during his postgame presser. He concluded by saying that facing the Knicks is going to be a “tremendous challenge” for the surging Sixers.
Nurse demands an immediate mindset shift for the semifinals
Nurse gave his players less than two hours to celebrate their historic Game 7 win, telling them they can enjoy it until midnight before focusing on the next task. He noted that they have only won seven games so far, reminding the team, “This might just be 7 out of the 28 games“ required to reach their ultimate championship goal.
シクサーズ監督、ニック・ナース:
— BNFA aka NBAnews4All (@__BNFA) May 3, 2026
“今は何時だ？22:10か。
この勝利を24:00まで祝ってもいいぞ。
でも明日になったら気持ちを切り替えろ。
これはもしかしたら28試合(優勝まで)中の7試合だ。” pic.twitter.com/RIAU7k7pev
To secure the win in Boston, Nurse shortened his bench, explaining that he felt that specific group was playing well together and he wanted his “best players on the floor.” He dismissed concerns about fatigue during the playoff push, famously stating, “If we don’t win, we have the whole summer to recover from being tired.”
Analysts like Andrew S on X are already highlighting the mouth-watering matchups, such as Tyrese Maxey versus Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns facing Joel Embiid. With stars like Mikal Bridges and Paul George also in the mix, this series is expected to be a “hard-fought battle” between two teams that know each other’s schemes perfectly.
