Donovan Mitchell almost single-handedly had the Knicks on the ropes. 

He caught fire for 21 points in the third quarter and gave the Cavaliers a one-point lead, undoing the Knicks’ dominant first half. The raucous Madison Square Garden had gone quiet. Mike Brown’s Opening Night party was at risk of being spoiled. 

The Knicks, though, are far more than a one-man show and did not waver, perhaps the best of Wednesday night’s developments. After the Cavaliers retook the lead to start the fourth quarter, the Knicks went on a 14-0 run — with four different scorers — and quickly wrestled control right back en route to a rousing, 119-111 win. Mitchell scored just two points in the fourth quarter. 

For large stretches, what was supposed to be a matchup of the best two teams in the Eastern Conference looked like a mismatch. The Cavaliers looked like they had a superstar in Mitchell — the Knicks looked like they had a complete team around their superstar, Jalen Brunson. 

Most expect the Cavaliers to be the Knicks’ biggest obstacle to a finals berth. Round 1 delivered an emphatic statement. 

“This is Game 1,” Brunson. “It’s not on us to speculate on what’s gonna happen down the road. We’re just focused on Game 2 now.” 

So many of the changes Brown wants to implement were visible. The scoring was evenly distributed — Brunson, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges all finished the first half with 12 points, and five Knicks scored double digits, led by Anunoby’s 24. Brunson added 23, Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 19 and Bridges tallied 16, while Miles McBride scored 15 off the bench. There was an emphasis on ball movement, which resulted in 22 assists. There was early use of an 11-man rotation. 

What was perhaps less predictable was the defensive intensity and loose-ball ferocity the Knicks possessed. Bridges served as a catalyst. 

“I think just having a year with a lot of guys and knowing how they play defensively was really good, man,” Bridges said. “I just think what we’ve been practicing helps us a lot. Just communicating and being in shifts, I think it’s boosting our defense. And being a little more aggressive off the ball, as well, making the guy that’s on-ball not think it’s just one on one. I think we’ve been doing a better job so far. I know it’s game one, but you can tell it’s different than preseason practice.”

Brown raved about Bridges’ “next-play speed” — his ability to immediately transition between different phases of the game — toward the end of the preseason. Brown described it as the blueprint he wanted the rest of his team to follow. 

It took just a few minutes to be evident. Bridges corralled an offensive rebound and found Anunoby for a 3-pointer to cap off an 11-0 run and give the Knicks a 17-10 lead with 6:21 left in the first quarter. A few minutes later, Bridges stripped the ball from Jaylon Tyson and beat everyone down the floor for an uncontested layup. It was part of a 7-0 solo run for Bridges that gave the Knicks a 26-16 lead with 2:37 left in the first quarter. He made his first four shots from the field. 

And Bridges’ energy was infectious. Despite playing without two of their best rebounders in Josh Hart and Mitchell Robinson, the Knicks owned a 46-32 rebounding advantage, including 9-4 on the offensive glass. Anunoby’s 14 rebounds tied a career high. 

“Our expectations are extremely high, but we’re not going to get ahead of ourselves,” Brown said. “Whether we won or lost, it’s one game, and we feel like as the season goes along, we’re going to get better. 

“We won the game and we had some good moments, but we don’t feel like we’re anywhere near what we’re capable of. That’s what makes it exciting. Everybody has expectations. I don’t know if their expectations are any higher than everybody in that locker room. We’re good with that. We embrace that.” 

A 16-2 Cavaliers run in the second quarter brought them within one point. But Landry Shamet and McBride combined for 10 points amid a 10-3 Knicks run, and they quickly put the Cavaliers back at arm’s length. 

McBride and Shamet are part of a bench unit that already demonstrated it is deeper than last year’s. Tyler Kolek played almost the whole third quarter and beginning of the fourth quarter and looked capable of serving as Brunson’s main backup at point guard. Guerschon Yabusele and Jordan Clarkson provided valuable minutes. Even Trey Jamison III saw meaningful action. Ariel Hukporti, who will normally be a backup but started at center for Robinson, held his own. 

As a whole, the Knicks’ bench outscored the Cavaliers’ 35-30. 

“I truly believe this is a deep team,” Brown said. “You give Leon Rose and this group a lot of credit for it. It’s my job to keep trying to find combinations out on the floor that work.” 

Brown passed his first Knicks test with flying colors. Start as you intend to go on.