This forces the ball out of the ball-handler's hands, normally to the screener: in the Knicks’ case — from Brunson to Hart, or Hartenstein, heading towards the rim with favorable numbers.

After all, oftentimes the screener’s man is still with the ball-handler after the dump-off pass — or if he’s smart, he’s attempting to pre-determine which Knick will soon be open.

Hart now has a line drive to the rim, which means either Hartenstein’s, Anunoby’s or DiVincenzo’s man must rotate over to help, otherwise, Hart gets an easy layup at the rim.

Leave Hartenstein, or Mitchell Robinson, in the dunker’s spot to help on Hart, and it’s two points on a lob to the rim.

You can’t leave DiVincenzo or Anunoby, either: DiVincenzo is shooting 46% from the corner (51.9% from the right pocket), Anunoby is converting at a 43.9% clip from the corner, and their substitutions — Miles McBride and Bojan Bogdanovic — are also shooting better than 40% from the corner on the season.

The Sixers will move fast defensively once the ball leaves Brunson’s hands. Their reigning MVP is both an eraser at the rim and a deterrent in the paint. Their lanky wings can both help on drives and recover back to the three-point line. Their head coach, Nick Nurse, will do more than just give Brunson a blitz defense he’s seen all season.

The Knicks are banking on it.

“I know they’ll be very well prepared. He’s very creative,” said Anunoby, who played for Nurse on the championship-winning Toronto Raptors team of 2019, after practice on Thursday. “He’s a great coach. They’ll be well coached for sure.”

Walk the walk

You can’t take any opponent for granted — especially not an opponent that has confidence.

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