Sixth man at Garden gives hard-playing Knicks an edge
Knicks’ Josh Hart (3), Immanuel Quickly (5) Obi Toppin (1) and Isaiah Hartenstein celebrate against the Cleveland Caverliers late in the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden on Friday, April 21, 2023. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
Before the Knicks host the Cavaliers on Sunday, Tom Thibodeau was careful to answer any question about the atmosphere he expects at Madison Square Garden with a reminder that the crowd can’t win the game.
But maybe he underestimated the 19,812 voices raised at the Garden.
“It can impact it a lot,” Jalen Brunson said after the Knicks’ meeting Saturday. “Even on defense, it was getting pretty loud in there. We try and communicate, but sometimes it’s so loud you have to go off of guys’ actions. It’s mayhem in there.”
Something rattled the Cavs, whether it was the Knicks’ defense or the rousing noise echoing in their heads. The Knicks — or the crowd — held them to 79 points, the lowest total in this high-scoring NBA season and the fewest by any team in a playoff game since May 16, 2013.
The 20 turnovers committed by the Cavaliers were the most in a playoff game since Indiana turned it over 21 times in that same series 10 years ago.
Whatever caused it, the Knicks have taken advantage to build a two-games-to-one lead in the best-of-seven playoff series and hope to continue it in Game 4. Through the first three games, the Knicks have scored 83 points off turnovers — the most by any team through the first three postseason games in the last 25 years.
“I don’t want to say the crowd got to them,” RJ Barrett said. “I think we played hard. We did a good job ourselves. We did a good job. They missed some shots I’m sure they’ll make. It happens like that. It’s a series. Every game is different . . . That’s why I’m not talking about a lot of X’s-and-O’s. Just from what I’ve seen in this series is a lot of heart. Go out there and lay it on the line.”
“I think we experienced new experiences,” Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff told reporters Saturday afternoon.
“Young guys and their first road playoff game, those are things you go through. Our guys don’t fear anybody. We’re not shook by anyone. And we’ll be ready for them for Game 4.”
It was a turnaround from Game 2, when the Cavs seemed to rattle the Knicks as they turned the game into a blowout. And while Cleveland had the best defensive rating in the NBA in the regular season, it was the Knicks who held the Cavs to 79 points Friday. The Knicks have held Cleveland below 100 points in their two victories.
“I think just being prepared,” Barrett said.
“Knowing the [scouting report]. Two out of the three games, we went out there and just played hard. I think the harder-playing team is the one that’s going to win. I just think whatever team plays harder is who’s going to win. So we’ve got to be able to bring that fight.”
“It really just says how hard your team is playing,” Immanuel Quickley said. “We felt like we played pretty hard. Our schemes, the defensive schemes were pretty tight. And then when we made mistakes, we flew around and tried to make it tough. Same thing, we just have to try to do it again on Sunday.”
The Knicks are aware that as raucous as it was Friday and as well as they played, they already have been here — winning Game 1 in Cleveland and then getting overwhelmed in Game 2.
“Very important game, especially being an early game,” Barrett said. “Got to be ready from the start. It’s tough to come back in a playoff game. Whoever is ready first is going to have a good shot. They’re going to come back and play hard. They’ve already shown that. They did that in Game 2. So we kind of know what to expect and we have to make sure we don’t let that happen.’’
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
