Knicks 99, Cavaliers 79: Welcome to New York
463 miles of travel saw the Knicks put Game 2 behind them & the Cavs in a 2-1 hole
Despite the loud, boisterous and passionate environment, Knicks fans have often bemoaned the fact that many visiting players seem to play even better under the bright lights at Madison Square Garden. During the down years, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and many other stars took turns dropping supernova performances at the Garden. During the good times, like this season, it seemed like star opponents often rose to the occasion, energized by the crowd instead of intimidated. The Knicks actually finished with a better road record (24-17) than home record (23-18). While 23-18 is still good, Knicks fans were understandably nervous despite having home-court advantage against a Cleveland team that had just manhandled New York Tuesday; with Donovan Mitchell coming to his hometown amidst much fanfare, the stage appeared to be set for him (and Game 2 Cavs’ hero Darius Garland) to go off.
But a few funny things happened on the way to the funeral.
After getting (literally and figuratively) punched in the mouth in Game 2, the Knicks threw a haymaker of their own, buoyed by an absolutely rabid crowd that looked to have the Cavaliers rattled. It has been said ad nauseam that young players play better at home than on the road, a phenomenon even more pronounced in the playoffs. So far, this series has epitomized this.
No Knick seemed to benefit from the return to the Big Apple more than RJ Barrett. After a chorus of talking heads screamed the Knicks should have included Barrett and anything else the Jazz wanted for Donovan Mitchell, Barrett made them eat their words, if only for one night. Barrett nearly matched Mitchell in points, scoring 19 on 8-of-12 shooting (including a sterling 3-of-6 from three!) and chipping in eight rebounds and three assists while contributing to another strong defensive effort from the Knicks. The three assists understate Barrett’s playmaking, as many of his passes were hockey assists or led to very good looks that just didn’t fall. This kind of aggressive driving, combined with sound decision-making, is exactly what the Knicks need from Barrett, and he did a great job selecting the opportunities to attack the rim and finishing, going 5-of-6 in the paint.
In the early going, Barrett seemed to be the only Knick who could hit a jump shot. The first quarter was a slog, with both teams playing terrific defense but also missing several open shots. The Knicks’ offense outside of Barrett drive-and-kicks still mostly felt very Julius Randle- and Jalen Brunson-centric, but they were generating quality looks from deep and opened things up on offense with a key adjustment: instead of screening with Mitchell Robinson and bringing Jarrett Allen to the ballhandler (which allowed the Cavs to aggressively trap Brunson all Game 2, to great results for them), the Knicks returned to setting screens with guards like Barrett, Quentin Grimes, Josh Hart and Immanuel Quickley, forcing the Cavs to either switch or hedge and recover with far less threatening defenders (usually one of Garland or Mitchell).
The other big adjustment Tom Thibodeau made early was on defense. After Garland and Caris LeVert both had huge Game 2s against the Knicks, many asked how the Knicks would deploy Brunson on defense. With LeVert starting over Isaac Okoro, Thibodeau bit the bullet and deployed Brunson at the point of attack against Garland. Fresh off his Game 2 heater, Garland attacked early and often, but Brunson was up for the challenge. While he was beaten several times, he fought back to recover and his help defenders afforded him the chance to do so. It also helped that Garland looked much like a 23-year-old playing in his first playoff game on the road. Decent looks hit back rim; contested looks (the kind that Garland can still make with regularity and which make him a special player) were sometimes not even hitting rim. He would finish with 10 points on an anemic 4-of-21 shooting, and while his defensive effort was impressive once again, with the help on screens coming from guards instead of Allen, the Knicks’ guards were able to have far more success against him on that end as well. It should also be noted that the Knicks’ guards played inspired defense against Garland (more on that below).
In the second quarter the Cavaliers remained stuck in neutral on offense. Meanwhile, the shots began to fall for the Knicks, helped in part by the Cavaliers’ uncharacteristic turnovers. Mitchell and Garland themselves combined for nine turnovers, backbreaking for a team that depends so much on high-level play from its backcourt. On the other side, the Knicks avoided the turnovers that sunk them in Game 2, pushing the pace to attack scrambling Cavalier defenses, springing shooters open with guard-to-guard screens and attacking the paint with Randle, Barrett and Brunson.
Meanwhile, Immanuel Quickley bounced back from a difficult first two games with a vintage IQ performance. He made his presence felt immediately upon entry, playing suffocating defense on Garland and not giving him even the inch Garland usually needs to get off his deadly pull-up jumper. Quickley was also terrific as a screener and help defender, playing his usual role as the Swiss Army knife who juices the Knicks on both ends.
The Knicks would go into halftime with a 45-32 lead despite not shooting the ball particularly well. In Game 2, after a physical, defensive first quarter, the Cavaliers were able to use turnovers and shotmaking to open up a lead in the second while the Knicks floundered. Game 3 was a mirror image, with the Knicks pushing forward to impose their will, and it only got worse for the Cavs from there. Randle struggled with his shot, going just 3-of-15 from the field, but he nearly took the roof off of MSG with his violent poster dunk on Allen to put the Knicks up 14 midway through the third. The crowd would get even louder when Randle followed that up with a contested corner 3-pointer in Evan Mobley’s eye.
The Cavs would not go quietly, though. The Knicks offense was flowing as well as it has all series, but everytime it seemed there was an opportunity for them to blow the game open it seemed they would make a mistake and the Cavs (most often LeVert) would make a big shot. LeVert had a strong game again, scoring 17 and doing his best to keep the Knicks’ defense – hell-bent on stopping Garland and Mitchell – honest.
But it wouldn’t matter. Quickley joined the party, hitting two of three 3-pointers and a couple of timely floaters, and by the end of the third quarter the Knicks pushed the lead to 17. Many conjectured that even though it was garbage time, simply seeing the ball go through the hoop a few times at the end of Game 2 would benefit Quickley immensely; whether it was that or losing out on the Sixth Man of the Year award to Malcolm Brogdon yesterday, Quickley looked completely locked in on both ends. Credit to Thibs for allowing him to get back to his comfort zone, mixing his strong off-ball instincts with ballhandling reps without trapping bigs. In Cleveland, Quickley looked tentative and indecisive with the ball in his hands, but as he settled in Game 3 his characteristic swagger returned.
The Knicks would continue to deliver haymakers. Josh Hart awakened in the second half, with strong drives to the rim complementing a 2-of-2 performance from three (PLEASE SHOOT MORE, JOSH!). Obi Toppin was also vital in the fourth quarter. On a night where Randle, still working his way back from injury, struggled to shoot, Obi chipped in 15 solid minutes, and his energy had exactly the effect you’d hope for on a Cavs team with very little depth. He didn’t shoot the ball particularly well, but played terrific defense, racking up four steals. Much of Obi’s offensive impact does not show up on the stat sheet, but running the floor like he does often opens up transition opportunities for other players, and his constant movement in the halfcourt is vital for a team that has struggled to keep help defenders occupied in this series.
With the bench providing their typical boost, Randle and Brunson would come into clean up. Much like Game 1, Brunson was simply unstoppable in the second half, cooking the Cavaliers from midrange no matter what defense they threw at him. Led by their closer, the Knicks put the Cavs away in the fourth, extending the lead to 26 before both coaches emptied the benches. And yet, barely any Knicks fans headed for the exits, even though the only drama remaining was if their deafening chants of “DERRICK ROSE!” would be rewarded.
Sure enough, a massive roar erupted from the crowd as Rose went to the scorer’s table with just over two minutes remaining. Although Rose would not score, he was serenaded with cheers every time he got the ball, and the other players obliged by trying to get him a bucket. The crowd continued to be just as loud as Daquan Jeffries forced an illegal screen call on OAKAAK Robin Lopez and didn’t settle down until well after the final buzzer. New York would close the game out with a 99-79 win, holding the Cavaliers to the lowest point total in an NBA game this entire season. Magnificent effort on both ends from all the players and Tom Thibodeau.
Notes:
The guard screens were a nice adjustment, but it still feels like there’s quite a bit of meat left on the bone for the Knicks on offense. There were very few empty-side screens run, and usually when a guard set a screen, he was rolling to a side where there were already two guards. The adjustment seemed to be for the screener to flash to the free throw line during the hedge, and this was effective in creating space for Brunson or forcing a switch, but there are more options to explore here. In general, the spacing was better than in Game 2 (and the Knicks did a much better job of finding shooters above the break against the Cavs’ aggressive defense), but there is another level they can hit. This was the third-best offense in basketball, after all.
Psychological advantage can sometimes transcend ability. David Robinson is one of the most physically gifted players in the history of the NBA, but during the playoffs of his MVP year, he simply had no answers for Hakeem Olajuwon. No matter what he tried, Olajuwon had a counter or would simply make a tough shot despite good defense. Where other players might see an intimidating 7-foot-1 player who moved like a gazelle, Hakeem Olajuwon saw food. It’s tough not to feel like Brunson has a similar feeling against Donovan Mitchell right now. The Cavs have avoided switching Mitchell onto Brunson at almost all costs, but every time they have, he has made them pay. I actually thought Mitchell was much better against Brunson, moving his feet, steering him away from the most valuable spots on the floor, and contesting extremely well. And it. Did. Not. Matter. Brunson’s confidence seems to go up another notch when Mitchell is on him. Where many other players would see a strong guard with elite athletic ability and a 6-foot-10 wingspan, Brunson only sees food.
Brunson’s “floor generaling” was also significantly better this game, particularly in the middle quarters. Like Barrett and Randle, he was consistently looking for shooters above the break once he got into the paint. The Knicks were stymied by the Cavaliers’ defensive pressure in Game 2, but made many of the right adjustments from both a execution and tactical perspective. Kudos to Thibodeau for getting this team back on track after a very tough loss that might have sent a lesser team spiraling. The threes still haven’t been falling, but they were nearly all good looks. The Cavaliers defense is daunting, but continuing to make simple passes and cut to space will eventually beat even a defense with a uniquely talented defender like Mobley.
Garland was terrible, and I don’t expect that to happen again. Even Mitchell looked mortal. Both are capable of much better games, no matter how well the Knicks play on defense. Still, Mobley hit some nice floaters and LeVert made some very difficult shots. And it resulted in 79 points. The Knicks’ execution in the halfcourt has been superb, and as long as they don’t turn the ball over, Garland, Mitchell and LeVert will all have to play at extremely high levels just to reach a palatable offensive output. The lack of depth is doing them no favors here, as the bench combined to go 2-of-7 from the field and were largely non-factors. When your team is turning to Danny Green minutes in 2023 . . . there might be a problem.
Quentin Grimes left in the second quarter with a shoulder contusion and did not return. Though he still struggled to find his shot, the Knicks were much better at generating open looks for him, and his defense on Mitchell was excellent as usual. Hopefully, he will be good to go for Game 4, as the Knicks will need his spacing. If they can continue to find him, it’s only a matter of time before a shooter of his caliber gets going.
I expect this series to go seven games. This has the feel of a 1990s playoff series, with the low scores and mentally and physically draining nature of the play. A close classic in Game 1 followed by the teams exchanging blowout wins at home. The chess match between JB Bickerstaff and Thibodeau has been fun to watch, with Bickerstaff having bigger guns but Thibodeau having a wider variety of them. Game 4 should be extremely fun (and, I expect, much more competitive in the fourth quarter than Games 2 and 3), and from the sound of things last night in the fourth, this MSG crowd is just getting started.
