Riding on a dominant first half, New York resisted Cleveland’s comeback to snatch a second victory (102-93) in their lair on Sunday. Tom Thibodeau’s men thus take off in the series (3-1) and are only one game away from the Eastern Conference semi-finals.
Despite an approximate address (27.6% three-point), the Knicks left an impression of domination. Carried by a public in a trance, Mitchell Robinson (11 rebounds, including 7 offensive) and the interiors of the Knicks monopolized the racket. Their 47 rebounds, compared to their opponents’ 33, set the tone for the game, especially the 17 they grabbed on offense.
A fright in the third quarter
For twelve minutes, New York shook. Darius Garland, so far in great difficulty, came out of the locker room with a new face. While he had scored only 2 points in the first half, the point guard scored 11 and generated 11 others with his assists in twelve minutes, giving the Cavaliers a first advantage with an alley-oop concluded by Jarrett Allen.
Seeing the hosts in the lead at the end of the third quarter was, at this stage, quite a surprise. The entry of Isaiah Hartenstein, dissuasive in the racket, then the three-point shot of Jalen Brunson six seconds from the buzzer, allowed their team to start the final stretch with a slim lead (73-71).
New York then contented itself with reciting its basketball, while Cleveland came down from its little cloud. The Cavaliers return to Ohio with an arduous challenge: come back two games behind, which has not been done – outside of the Orlando bubble in 2020 – since LeBron James’ Cavaliers feat in the Finals 2016 NBA.