Knicks’ D muscles up on Cavs in Game 3 romp

Nick Friedell is the Chicago Bulls beat reporter for ESPN Chicago. Friedell is a graduate of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and joined ESPNChicago.com for its launch in April 2009.

NEW YORK — The New York Knicks didn’t just beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals Friday night, they made a statement on how they hope the rest of the series plays out.

The Knicks won 99-79, holding the Cavs to the fewest points by any team in the NBA this season to take a 2-1 series lead. They beat up a Cavs team that was feeling confident after Tuesday’s convincing Game 2 victory and believed they were ready for the raucous environment that awaited them at Madison Square Garden.

“We were locked in,” Knicks guard Jalen Brunson said. “Just a credit to the coaching staff, getting us ready and everyone just locking in on our game plan and executing and everyone on the same page.”

Both teams looked off throughout the first half while adjusting to the emotion of the sellout crowd, but it was the Knicks who took control of the game by tightening up on the defensive end and holding Cavs guard Darius Garland to a 4-for-21 performance from the field after he torched the Knicks for 32 points in Game 2. After looking disjointed throughout Tuesday’s Game 2 loss, the Knicks played with cohesion and fed off the energy in the building.

“I thought we had good overall activity,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “Good intensity, guys were connected, did a good job challenging shots and finishing.”

Brunson, who finished with 21 points and six assists, certainly answered the bell for his team. He set a tone for the group in the second half while making several big plays to put the game out of reach. The Knicks also took advantage of the Cavs’ 20 turnovers, turning them into 28 points in a game in which baskets were hard to come by.

“I think we kind of shot ourselves in the foot on that one,” Cavs star guard Donovan Mitchell said. “I think we came out a little too hype. I think it was just one of those things where you’re just playing fast, trying to do so much, trying to do it all in one play. You’ll take that aggression at the end of the day. You can calm that down, as opposed to coming out timid. I think that’s the biggest thing. We’ll fix that. I had 6 myself. As a leader, you can’t have that. That’s on me, and different things kind of setting that tone.”

Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff echoed Mitchell’s sentiment, noting that the Cavs’ struggles to find a rhythm on offensive started impacting the way the group played defense later in the game.

“I think early on it was the nerves,” Bickerstaff said. “As the game progressed, it was more about trust than anything. We stopped trusting in doing the right thing and just tried to do a lot on our own. Once that happens, it starts to leak into our defense, the same thing. We’re not in our spots, we’re not doing the things that we need to do in order to get the stops that we’re capable of getting.”

Aside from imposing their will on the defensive end, the Knicks were also the beneficiaries of a revitalized RJ Barrett, who gave them a big lift Friday night. After going a combined 6-for-25 in Games 1 and 2 in Cleveland, Barrett responded with 19 points in Game 3, helping the group get on track during a first quarter in which both teams combined to score just 34 points.

While the Knicks hosted playoff games in 2021, Friday marked the first time in 10 years that Madison Square Garden was filled to regular capacity for a postseason game since there were still COVID-related attendance restrictions in place two years ago. Barrett, like many of his teammates, acknowledged the impact of playing in front of such a frenzied crowd.

“As a basketball player you grow up thinking about moments like these,” Barrett said. “It was electric in there, and happy we get to come back Sunday.”

ESPN’s Tim Bontemps contributed to this report.

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