After a 109-93 win against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night, the Knicks are in control of the Eastern Conference Finals with a 2-0 series lead. Game 2 was a balanced offensive attack as all five New York starters scored in double figures. Josh Hart also came alive with 26 points.
Now, the Knicks will look to extend their franchise record of consecutive postseason wins to 10 games. With the series scene shifting to Cleveland, let’s dive into some keys to Game 3.
Hart beat
Game 2 was a moment of redemption for Hart. Relegated to the bench for much of New York’s Game 1 comeback in the fourth quarter and overtime, Hart recovered with 26 points, four rebounds, and seven assists on Thursday night.
The story of this series so far has been Cleveland’s defensive strategy to have center Jarrett Allen guard Hart. Allen is largely ignoring the New York wing. Hart got off to a slow start, missing five of six treys in the first half, but he went on a run, knocking down four of five trifectas in the second half.
Many of the attempts Hart took were completely open. Cleveland is defending this way to keep the rest of New York’s lineup, including stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, in check. Allen has been able to protect the rim and limit scoring opportunities in the paint by ignoring Hart.
But Hart has shown he is capable. He shot 41.3 percent from the three-point line on 242 attempts in the regular season. The Cavs probably will continue to defend Hart with a center, but after this postseason career night, they might not leave him as wide open going forward. That could open up opportunities for other Knicks on Saturday.
Working the glass
Coming into this series, the Knicks were expected to have a rebounding advantage against Cleveland. However, through the first game and a half, the Cavaliers seemed to control the boards.
In the first half of Game 2, Cleveland dominated the glass, recording nine offensive rebounds to New York’s one offensive board. The Cavaliers had just four in the second half, where the Knicks created some separation.
Towns had a solid offensive night with 18 points. But he also made an impact on defense. The center had 13 rebounds, all coming on the defensive end. Preventing offensive rebounds from Cleveland’s big man duo of Evan Mobley and Allen is crucial to picking up wins in this series. Mobley and Allen combined for just four points in the second half.
Balanced starting five
Game 2 was all about balance for New York. After Brunson took over the series opener, the Knicks got contributions from each of the club’s starting five. New York’s starters each scored at least 14 points.
Cleveland made more of an effort to prevent Brunson from isolating one-on-one against James Harden. The Cavs brought help to stop the Knicks point guard. It created opportunities for Brunson to get his teammates involved.
Brunson finished the game with 19 points and a career-high 14 assists. New York had 32 assists on 44 field goals on Thursday night. Playing together has been a regular occurrence for The Knicks, who have recorded at least 30 assists on four different occasions during this playoff run.
The pass is a larger part of New York’s offensive identity. The Knicks are sixth in assist rate during the playoffs (60.5 percent) among 16 teams during the playoffs. In last year’s playoff run, the Knicks ranked dead last.
It’s safe to say that moving the ball will be important to New York’s continued success.
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