CLEVELAND — The New York Knicks seem to follow a similar script on this suddenly smooth road to the NBA Finals — adjusting in the second half and pulling away for easy wins.
It’s a mark of a team peaking at the right time, finding new life with every opponent mishap and discovering it has the answer to every question. The latest evidence was the Knicks’ 121-108 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals, moving them one win from their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999.
The Knicks have won 10 straight postseason games. Nine of their 11 playoff wins have been by double digits, and their two losses have been by a total of two points. They have won in myriad ways. On Saturday, Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby carried the Knicks early before Jalen Brunson closed out the Cavaliers in the fourth quarter.
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Bridges finished with 22 points, and Anunoby, who no longer appears hampered by the right hamstring injury that caused him to miss the final two games of the previous series, had 21 points and seven rebounds. Both players were key in keeping the Cavaliers from gaining any rhythm at the 3-point line, where they shot 12-for-41.
The Knicks look fresher than the Cavaliers, who have been playing every other day since Game 5 of their first-round series against the Toronto Raptors. Cleveland has played 13 games since April 29, while New York has played only eight in that span.
“We have a bunch of individuals in that locker room who work really hard, and they’re very psychotic about their work and things they do,” Brunson said. “When their number’s called and when it’s time to go, they’re ready. A lot of real professionals on our roster.”
TeamDouble-digit wins2009 Cavaliers82004 Pacers62026 Knicks52021 Suns52017 Warriors5*2017 Warriors5*2004 Pistons5*1985 Lakers5*1947 Warriors5** won NBA Finals
— ESPN Research
When Knicks coach Mike Brown was hired, he was expected to guide the club to the NBA Finals while also keeping the starters fresh and developing the bench.
Brown said that working for Steve Kerr and Gregg Popovich, who have combined to win nine NBA titles as coaches, taught him the importance of using his bench through the regular season.
On Saturday, reserve Landry Shamet hit four 3-pointers, including three in the second half, to help the Knicks pull away and take the energy out of Rocket Arena.
“They were guys that went deep into their bench,” Brown said of Kerr and Popovich. “They would say, ‘It’s not about now; it’s about the postseason.’ You keep guys engaged by you doing that. That’s something I stole from them. There were a few things I came up with on my own. I’ve seen it work in the past, and that’s kind of what I wanted to do here.”
Josh Hart, who averaged a league-leading 37.6 minutes per game last season, was fifth among the Knicks starters this season at 30.2 minutes. He said his minutes reduction has kept him fresher for the playoffs and allowed the Knicks to “play faster.”
“Obviously, minutes are down, but last year, I felt like I didn’t have much [energy] in terms of getting to this point. I’d never gotten to this point before,” Hart said. “This year, I focused on more nutrition, working on my body more, making sure my body and recovery is good. Obviously, minutes [down] is helping.”
Though the Knicks’ versatility has been on display all postseason, Brunson’s ability to close games has stayed true throughout. In Game 3, Brunson scored 21 of his game-high 31 points after halftime. His counterpart in Cleveland, Donovan Mitchell, was just 4-of-14 in the second half, and James Harden took just four shots after the break.
“I’ve always tried to keep myself level-headed,” Brunson said. “You never want someone to see you when you’re too high or too low. Just having that mentality that no matter what’s going on, nothing’s going to break you, and I think I’ve had that for a long time.”
The Knicks will go for the sweep and a return to the Finals on Monday night in Game 4 in Cleveland.
