After splitting two games in Cleveland, the Knicks and Cavaliers comes to Madison Square Garden for a pivotal Game 3.
The Knicks held on for a 101-97 Game 1 win before a turnover-filled second quarter derailed them in a 107-90 Game 2 defeat.
“I’m very excited,” Knicks star guard Jalen Brunson said Thursday of the MSG atmosphere. “It’s going to be a great place to play. It’s always been the best place to play in the league. It’s going to be unreal. I just know that it’s going to be an electric atmosphere, for sure.”
So, who has the advantage in Game 3?
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The legend of Josh Hart keeps growing in New York City. The Knicks guard's hair was braided in a New York logo during Game 3 against the Cavaliers, according to a photo from behind the team's bench. Josh hart is true NY pic.twitter.com/1TN9VUGFM3 Knicks fans continued their celebrations outside of the Garden following their Game 3 win against the Cavaliers. These Knicks fans were playing pickup hoops on the street after Game 3 tonight 😂 Knicks fans are LIT after the Game 3 W 😂 pic.twitter.com/KuNjZMXkgjEven Josh Hart's hair reflects his NYC passion
By Andrew Crane Knicks fans hold wild celebration after Game 3 victory
By Andrew Crane
(via @shawnwithaW_)pic.twitter.com/4l1LsqVI1H
The Empire State Building chimed in to support the Knicks after their victory over the Cavaliers, selecting blue and orange as its Friday night colors.
Sparking in blue and orange for the @nyknickspic.twitter.com/BIZRvCQSMO
— Empire State Building (@EmpireStateBldg) April 22, 2023
The Knicks' defense limited Donovan Mitchell and the Cavaliers in a way that no other team had this season.
An NBA team hadn't been held below 80 points throughout the 2022-23 campaign, according to ESPN Stats & Info, and the Cavaliers had never been defeated by 20 or more points this season, either.
The Knicks made the playoffs in every season of the 1990s and twice more to start the new millennium, reaching the NBA Finals twice in that span behind gritty defensive-minded teams that perfectly represented New York’s tenacity and lunch-pail work ethic.
A couple of decades of despair and mostly losing hoops later, those traits once again were the backbone of the Knicks’ suffocating 99-79 blowout victory Friday night in Game 3 over the Cavaliers to carry a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series entering Sunday’s fourth game.
The Knicks began four straight days of alternating home playoff games with the Rangers with a throwback defensive gem at a raucous and chaotic Madison Square Garden.
Jalen Brunson's consecutive games with at least 20 points and five assists marks the first time a Knicks player has recorded those numbers in the postseason since Patrick Ewing in 1990, according to ESPN.
The Knicks, now up 2-1 against the Cavaliers, are looking to secure just their second postseason series victory since Ewing departed following the 1999-2000 season.
KNICKS ROYALTY 🗽
— ESPN (@espn) April 22, 2023
Jalen Brunson is the first Knicks player to drop 20 points and 5 assists in back-to-back playoff games since Patrick Ewing in 1990! pic.twitter.com/ZWOkpQTHsi
A weekend packed with playoff games at the Garden — for both the Knicks and the Rangers — started off with a convincing victory for the Knicks.
They defeated the Cavaliers, 99-79, and it was a win that combined a passable offensive performance with a stellar defensive one. Cleveland only managed 32 points in the first half.
Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 21 points, RJ Barrett added 19 and Josh Hart overcame early foul trouble to contribute 13 points off the bench.
Soon after the Garden's fans started chanting for Derrick Rose, the Knicks' reserve guard made his way to the scorer's table and checked in for Immanuel Quickley.
He has played in just one game since the start of January, but the former All-Star has held a pivotal role mentoring the Knicks' younger guards. Rose attempted a floater and missed it on his first offensive possession.
The Knicks have made everything look simple against a Cavaliers team struggling to shoot the ball. In the fourth quarter, even Obi Toppin has ignited the Garden with a dunk and a 3-pointer.
And with 3:10 left in the fourth quarter, Knicks fans have begun chanting for Derrick Rose.
It didn't take Darius Garland long to contribute after returning to the game.
He hit a 3-pointer from the corner, in front of the Knicks' bench, with 9:02 remaining, but Obi Toppin responded with a 3 at the other end to put the Knicks back up 18.
Cleveland's Darius Garland limped off the court in the fourth quarter and sat next to the bench, appearing to be in pain.
He had missed a layup amid a 2-for-14 shooting performance from the field. Garland eventually took his left shoe off and sat at the end of the Cleveland bench before later putting that shoe back on, according to ESPN.
The first quarter could've been labeled as a poor start. Same with the first half, if the Cavaliers had found a way to reverse their horrible shooting percentages in the final 24 minutes.
But entering the fourth quarter, they trail, 72-55. They have shot 37.3 percent from the field. They've gone 6-for-27 from beyond the 3-point arc. Only two players have topped 10 points, and one of those — Caris LeVert — sits at 11.
RJ Barrett's 19 points lead the Knicks, while Jalen Brunson has added 16.
