1 Down. 15 To Go.

In the 28 minutes Deuce McBride was on the floor in Game 1, the Knicks outscored the Sixers by 37 points

Final Score: Knicks 111 - Sixers: 104
Series: Knicks 1 - Sixers 0

If I had told you before tipoff that Jalen Brunson would play his worst game of the season, Donte DiVincenzo would post a season-low plus/minus of -23, and Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey would combine for 60+ points, ten rebounds and ten assists, you'd have told me the Knicks role players would have needed to play out of their minds for New York to have any chance to win Game 1 Saturday night at MSG.

Fortunately for New York, that's precisely what happened, as Deuce McBride, Josh Hart, Mitchell Robinson and Bojan Bogdanovic saved the day in what was an incredible, memorable and momentous win for the home team.

The Knicks were in serious trouble early on. The Sixers, led by their two stars, were getting whatever looks they wanted, and New York had no rhythm offensively. With a minute left in the first quarter, the Knicks trailed 32-19. Then Miles McBride checked in. Ten seconds later, he nailed a three-pointer. It was a sign of things to come.

In the 40 games he played as a rookie in 2021-22, Deuce made just 17 of his 68 three-point attempts (25%). Last season, in the 11 games the Knicks played in the postseason, McBride logged a grand total of 20 minutes and scored just three points.

Last night, that same player racked up 21 points, three rebounds, four assists, a steal and five three-pointers across 28 minutes. Each triple he hit, beginning with that first bucket on his first possession of the night, seemed to shift momentum in New York's favor.

Incredibly, in the 28 minutes McBride was on the floor in Game 1, the Knicks outscored the Sixers by 37 points. In the 20 minutes he was on the bench, the Sixers outscored the Knicks by 30.

Deuce is the first player in Knicks franchise history to post an individual plus/minus north of 30 in a playoff game. He's also the first Knicks to score 20+ points and knock down five three-pointers off the bench in the postseason.

In his on-court interview immediately after the game, Jalen Brunson was asked what it took to win Game 1. He replied with just two words: "Deuce McBride."