CLEVELAND — The Knicks are on the threshold now.
They can almost taste it. It’s within touching distance. The Eastern Conference trophy will be in the building Monday. The Knicks will be able to reach out and grasp it.
They have one foot in the Finals, the destination that was demanded of them this season. The destination that they fell just short of last year. The destination that has eluded them since 1999.
The Knicks are one win away after breezing past the Cavaliers 121-108 on Saturday night at Rocket Arena to take an overpowering 3-0 series lead. They have a chance to record back-to-back dominant sweeps.
“We won all these games in a row as a team,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “We’ve had this winning streak as a team. We’ve found these ways to get these great wins, even down 22 in Game 1, we came back as a team. As long as we stay together, we stay unified, we feel, we always have felt, the sky is the limit for us.”
The Cavaliers’ motto is “Let Em Know.” It’s plastered all over the arena. It was written on a huge flag that made its way around the crowd pregame.
Well, they did let the Knicks know — that they had no ability to make this a series or even challenge them. Saturday was the Knicks’ fifth straight road playoff win by at least 10 points, tying the NBA record.
Saturday’s final score doesn’t indicate a complete blowout like the Knicks have delivered in so many of these now 10 straight wins — nine of which have been by double-digits. But it also never really felt all that close, either.
The Knicks never trailed. The Cavs tied the game twice, but there were zero lead changes. The Knicks kept the Cavs at arm’s length pretty much the entirety.
Given the way they’ve been playing since the middle of the first round, there was never really a sense the Knicks were under any sort of threat. When the Knicks scored the first five points of the fourth quarter to take a 14-point lead, the arena was noticeably deflated — besides the strong number of Knicks fans in attendance, at least. The Cavs began hanging their heads.
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Three straight 3-pointers by Landry Shamet ensured that cushion was back to 14 points midway through the quarter. OG Anunoby’s 3-pointer extended the lead to 17 points with 5:30 left and it felt like that was the final dagger.
The scoring was incredibly balanced across the starting lineup. Towns, who had 11 points in the first quarter, set the tone early and finished with 13 points. Jalen Brunson, who was quiet early but scored 12 points in the third quarter, took over in the second half and finished with 30. Mikal Bridges, who had 22 points, and Anunoby, who added 21 points, were terrific throughout. Josh Hart added 12 points.
“When we play our style of basketball,” Hart said, “everybody eats.”
Bridges’ transformation has been remarkable. He went 11-for-15 from the field, but took just one 3-pointer. He has been attacking the rim more than he ever has since joining the Knicks. He was also active as a cutter and was the recipient of a few assists that set him up for wide-open layups.
The Knicks had a 17-4 advantage in fast-break points. Bridges was right at the heart of it.
“His feel is unbelievable,” coach Mike Brown said. “He’s just got a good feel. He’s doing that on his own, he’s picking and choosing when to go, just like he’s picking and choosing when to look for his shot. … I told him and OG: ‘Because I don’t call a ton of play-calls, you guys gotta find different ways to impose your will on the game.’ And they’re both doing a phenomenal job of imposing their will on the game.”
Towns’ facilitating prowess returned after a two-game hiatus. He took just nine shots — and only three in the second half — but recorded seven assists.
The Knicks defense wasn’t as stout as it had been. But it didn’t really need to be. For much of the second half, they were trading baskets with the Cavs. After building a lead, that was more than fine.
As a team, the Knicks shot 12-for-17 (70.6 percent) from the field in the first quarter. Bridges was 3-for-3 and Anunoby was 2-for-2. The only one who was off the mark? Brunson, who went 1-for-4 and missed all three treys he took.
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Brunson predictably came alive, but he notably finished without a made 3-pointer. He took only one after the first quarter, torching the Cavs in the midrange.
He struggled with his 3-point shot all series, though it hasn’t yet mattered.
Right now, all that matters is just how close the Knicks are to the final destination.
“You don’t look ahead,” Brunson said. “You do what’s in front of you.”
A Finals berth is what is now in front of these Knicks.
