Slamanoby: OG Anunoby Ends Knicks Series in Style

The New York Knicks have seen their icy Madison Square Garden roommates succeed with Canadian imports. Now that they’ve gotten in on the fun, they’ve staged their most legitimate run at a championship in quite some time.

Little more needs to be said about the impact former Toronto Raptor OG Anunoby has had on the Knicks lineup: Thursday’s 118-115 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers improved the Knicks to 24-5 when Anunoby dons his No. 8 jersey, after all. But Anunoby, well-regarded for his defensive antics, helped place offensive finishing touches on this latest monumental win.

In the final stanzas of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals’ sixth game, Anunoby perhaps channeled the frustration and fantasies of tri-state area basketball fans with a showstopping dunk over 76ers star and Knicks nemesis Joel Embiid, drawing both a foul and a 109-101 lead with 2:43 remaining.

While Philadelphia eventually fought back well enough to tie the game (and set up Josh Hart’s heroics from deep), Anunoby’s dunk over Embiid will no doubt go down as one of the most exhilarating moments of the playoffs.

“Just attack the rim, just attack the rim, and be aggressive,” Anunoby said of his thought process on the fateful slam, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. “I was telling myself, ‘Don’t lay it up. Just dunk it.’”

The dunk brought a memorable call out of lauded play-by-play man Ian Eagle, who referred to it as a “grown man’s jam” on the TNT national broadcast. Some Knicks fans went as far as to compare to John Starks’ famous dunk against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls during the 1993 postseason, one that saw Starks dunk over Horace Grant in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Staying aggressive was the perfect counter to Embiid’s activities, as the reigning NBA MVP got to the line 78 times over the six-game set. Having mastered Embiid at his own game, the often-stoic Anunoby didn’t hesitate to let his jubilation show.

“I’m a pumped-up guy,” Anunoby said. “I do that stuff. That’s normal for me.”

Anunoby came through big at several points on the scoreboard: though he didn’t cash in on the and-one opportunity stemming from Embiid’s foul, he scored seven points in the fourth quarter and also hit a three-pointer in the final minute of the third to set up a tie score for the thrilling finish. Anunoby also hauled in nine rebounds and drew primary Tobias Harris duty, holding the 76ers’ $180 million man to two attempts from the field.

“He brings a lot. To me, he’s one of the best, if not the best, defenders in the league,” Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein said in Bondy’s report. “He was aggressive (in) this series. I think maybe he didn’t start so aggressive, but as it went on he started to be aggressive, downhill driving, getting to his midrange and finishing. That dunk was huge.”

Anunoby will look to continue showcasing his impact on Monday night when the Knicks open the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Indiana Pacers (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT).

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