The dichotomy has been there for the last several years.

When Joel Embiid is healthy and at full strength, the 76ers are championship caliber. When he's not, the Sixers aren't.

And that's true within the course of the game, as we saw in the Sixers' 111-104 loss in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference playoff against the Knicks on Saturday.

Embiid was off to a great start, scoring the Sixers' first nine points of the game. He had 15 in the first quarter, and the Sixers had a nine-point lead. Embiid rested for the first five minutes of the second quarter, and the Knicks went on a 15-6 run to tie the game.

GETTING HIS WISH: Sixers Paul Reed wanted 'easier' Knicks matchup in NBA playoffs. 3 reasons why he's right

And then things went from bad to worse for the Sixers. Ironically, it came on perhaps Embiid's best play of his career.

Embiid, stuck in traffic in the lane, threw the ball off the backboard, caught it and slammed the ball through the basket. But Embiid landed on his left leg, and his knee buckled as he went down to the court, writhing in pain.

Embiid eventually got up and walked gingerly to the locker room. He sat for the rest of the half, and the Sixers fell behind by 12 at the break.

Embiid returned to finish out the game, but he wasn't quite the same after that, settling for jump shots and not having much impact inside. Embiid finished with 29 points, but he shot 8-for-22.

The Knicks took advantage inside, outrebounding the Sixers 66-41.

It was the same knee that Embiid missed more than two months for from Jan. 29 through April 2. Embiid had surgery on the knee and returned to play in five of the final seven regular-season games. Embiid tweaked the knee against Orlando on April 12 and sat out the finale two days later.

But Embiid was back for the Sixers' 105-104 play-in tournament win over Miami on Wednesday, although he wasn't at full strength. Embiid had 23 points on 6-for-17 shooting and 15 rebounds.

In all, the Sixers were plus-14 with Embiid on the court, and minus-21 when Paul Reed replaced him.

Here are some other instant takeaways:

Sixers bench benched, and Knicks have big rebound edge

The Sixers were outscored 42-7 by the Knicks' bench.

Miles McBride led the Knicks reserves with 21 points off the bench for the Knicks, going 5-for-7 from 3-point range.

For the Sixers, Nicolas Batum had just three points in 24 minutes on Saturday. Three days earlier, Batum had 20 points off the bench, hitting six 3-pointers against the Heat. It wasn't just Batum. Paul Reed was minus-21 in 11 minutes filling in for Embiid, and Buddy Hield was held scoreless.

In addition, the Knicks had a big 23-9 edge over the Sixers on offensive rebounds, leading to several second-chance baskets.

Ty-race Maxey to the rescue, almost

Tyrese Maxey led the Sixers with 33 points, often speeding past the Knicks defense. But it wasn't enough.

Maxey and Kyle Lowry brought the Sixers back after they fell behind by 14 early in the third quarter. Maxey and Lowry scored all but two of the Sixers' first 20 points of the quarter as the Sixers pulled to within 69-66.

Then Embiid hit a 3-pointer to tie the game. After Delaware native Donte DiVincenzo untied the game with a 3, the Sixers went on a 9-0 run to take a six-point lead with 3:04 left in the third quarter.

But the Sixers couldn't sustain it.

Best Villanova player in Game 1 is not the 3 on Knicks

The game featured four former Villanova stars, with three of them on the Knicks in Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and DiVincenzo.

But Lowry, who's 38 years old, outplayed them. Lowry finished with 18 points on 5-for-9 shooting, including 4 of 7 from 3-point range. Brunson had 22 points, but he made only 8 of 26 shots. Hart finished strong and had 22 points, but he was 5-for-12. DiVincenzo had 8 points on 3 of 10 shooting.

Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on X @Mfranknfl.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Instant analysis: Sixers' Joel Embiid reinjures knee in Game 1 vs. Knicks