We knew it before the series started, and tonight we saw the proof again: the Cavaliers just can’t match the offensive depth of New York.
While Cleveland relied on Donovan Mitchell (26 PTS), the husk of James Harden, and their two big men, all five Knicks starters logged double-digit points. Late into the fourth quarter, Jalen Brunson had recorded just 11 points, but it didn’t matter. The captain finished with 19 points and 14 dimes, while his roomie was busy bossing around the Cavs and taking his turn in the spotlight. Playing incredibly well at both ends, Josh Hart set a new personal postseason best with 26 points (10-21 FG, 5-11 3PT), plus seven assists, four boards, and two steals.
Not to be outdone, Karl-Anthony Towns logged his eighth double-double of these playoffs (18 points, 13 boards), and their diabolically defending wings combined for 33 points on 14-of-20 shooting. Although the visitors held a six-point lead at times in the first half, everything post-intermission belonged to the hosts. When the final buzzer buzzed, New York had won 109-93 and secured a 2-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The game started off alright. All in the first minute, Jalen Brunson swished a floater, Mikal Bridges stole an inbounds pass, and Karl-Anthony Towns sank a three. The Garden ruptured eardrums with their vociferous vocalizations.
Cleveland responded, however. They capitalized on Knicks’ misses and miscues while also getting Evan Mobley cooking early. Their skipper, Kenny Atkinson, gave the frontcourt some notes after New York schooled his bigs on Tuesday. Early tonight, they outrebounded the Knicks, and Evan Mobley led the Cavs with 10 first-quarter points.
Meanwhile, New York’s long-range shooting was frosty again. They missed five of their first six attempts while the guests converted three-quarters of theirs. New York’s ball movement was good, but Cleveland’s defense kept up. Luckily for us, OG Anunoby exists. His defense was equal to—if not better than—his opponents’, and his steal from Dean Wade became two easy points midway through Q1.
Rest assured, the hamstring seems fine. OG sprinted up the court like a gazelle.
New York’s bench provided a lift, with Landry Shamet stealing from Sam Merrill and Deuce McBride hitting a triple—his first points of the series. Donovan Mitchell waited until the final seconds to make his first bucket, a three that gave Cleveland a 27-24 advantage at the buzzer.
In the second quarter, Jose Alvarado joined the fray to give Brunson a blow. With Cap resting, Towns carried the Knicks offensively early in the quarter. He knocked down a three and scored inside. Bridges continued to make life hell for James Harden, and when The Beard managed to fight his way to the cup, there was Mitchell Robinson to stuff him back.
At the other end, Bridges was a menace, too, making nearly all his shots to reach double digits early.
Cleveland ratcheted up its defense. Mobley blocked Towns at the rim, Mitchell swatted away a McBride three-point attempt, and Dennis Schröder finished a driving layup during a Cavaliers run.
Neither team surrendered much ground. At the midway point, coach Mike Brown went with four starters and Robinson at center. Cleveland went ahead, and New York tied the score; the Cavs inched forward, then New York leapfrogged them. Hart finally converted from the outfield to secure a five-point lead. When Harden hit from deep, the score was knotted yet again.
The Cavaliers guarded Brunson well, limiting him to just two points on six field-goal attempts in his first 19 minutes. The Knicks have so many riches, though. With JB stymied, Hart scored eight points in the quarter to give the good guys a 53-49 halftime lead.
Through the first half, Cleveland missed six more shots than our heroes yet stayed competitive by outrebounding them by seven and hauling in eight offensive boards to New York’s zero. The Knicks shot fine from the field (56%), but missing 8 of 11 from deep prevented them from blowing the lid off this sucker. Each team protected the ball, committing just three turnovers apiece despite the dogged defense. Mobley led all scorers with 14 points, while KAT was a close second with 13.
Jarrett Allen and Spida scored four points to kick off the second half. Then the ‘Nova kids tore off on an 18-0 run, with nine points from Hart, seven points from Brunson, and two from Bridges. An apoplectic Atkinson nearly snapped his hair like twigs while his club went dry for five-and-a-half minutes and fell behind by almost 20.
Spida contributed a few buckets but received little support from his cohort. With Harden on the bench, picking lint out of his facial hair, you have to wonder if maybe Donovan misses Darius Garland from time to time.
Not only were the Knicks scorching the nets from every distance, but they protected the ball. In the quarter, they committed no turnovers but forced four, outscored the guests 32-18, and closed the frame with an 85-70 lead.
To start the fourth, New York missed seven shots and committed four fouls, allowing Mitchell, Merrill, and Jaylon Tyson to cut the gap to seven points.
When Jordan Clarkson committed a loose-ball foul on Tyson, New York was in the penalty with nine minutes still to play.
The teams traded buckets, and Brown needed a timeout. The Cavs couldn’t muster the stuff to mount a comeback like New York did on Tuesday. With Harden and Schröder whiffing, Bridges and Anunoby combined for eight points to push the lead to 13 with six minutes left.
Mitchell was huffing and puffing; Allen, Harden, and Strus bricked again; and in a flash, the differential was 19 with under three minutes left. Towns fouled Harden on a drive that resulted in an and-one. That gave us a moment’s pause. But Cleveland was beat in so many ways. Bridges scored, Spida missed, and Brunson hit a six-foot dagger to restore the 18-point advantage with 1:30 left. From there, both coaches sent in the subs to mop it up, and a beautiful night of basketball drew to its conclusion.
Up Next
Professor Miranda has a recap for your ear, and this series is headed to Ohio. Safe travels, Knickerbockers.
