Knicks play with a physical edge Cavaliers will try to match
The Knicks' Mitchell Robinson dunks against the Cavaliers during the second half of Game 1 in a first-round NBA playoff series Saturday in Cleveland. Credit: AP/Nick Cammett
CLEVELAND — Consider the first-round playoff matchup between the Knicks and Cavaliers this way: If you were picking teams think about who would be picked first, then second, how you rank the talent of the top players on each team. And in that scenario the reason the Cavaliers finished ahead of the Knicks in the standings is clear: They have talent.
But as you watch the head-to-head matchup, with the Knicks taking away homecourt advantage from Cleveland with a Game 1 win on Saturday and taken three of four regular-season meetings between the two teams, there is something that gives the Knicks an edge. And that is something that the Cavs learned in Game 1 and insist they will match: the physicality of the Knicks.
Easier said than done though.
“I mean, I don’t really know what to expect from them,” Julius Randle said after the Knicks' morning shootaround on Tuesday. “I try not to put my focus on what they’re going to do. It’s really about us. That’s coming with the right mentality. I feel like if we do that we’ll give ourselves a good shot to win.
“For us we’re just focused on what we do best. We feel like we can play a much better game than we did in Game 1. So we’ll clean up our mistakes. I think the focus has to continue to be on us and us coming out and being together, and sticking together through ups and downs. There’s going to be runs, a lot of energy in the building. But as long as we continue to do the habits and things we worked on, I’m sure we’ll be fine.”
The Knicks expect to get more from the Cavaliers as the series moves forward, but expect the same of themselves, too. And if physicality is a problem for the Cavs, their bold words are nice but they won’t put 40 pounds on Evan Mobley, bulk up Darius Garland or make Jarrett Allen three inches taller. And it won’t change what these teams are and have been.
The Cavs don’t rely simply on shooting or skills. Donovan Mitchell is the sort of player that Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau would love to have built his team around, a hard-nosed fighter packaged in a sharpshooter’s body. And Cleveland ranked first in the NBA in defense this season and played at the slowest pace in the league.
But the Knicks, while trying to run more this season and intent on shooting threes, layups and foul shots, have relied on an old-school mentality, playing hard and playing physically. Part of that is Josh Hart, who was upgraded from doubtful to questionable Tuesday afternoon — little surprise to anyone who has dealt with him and his desire to play and play hard.
“I think we just play hard,” RJ Barrett said. “I think we play hard and try to go after everything. When you’re competing and trying to win, that’s just how it comes out.”
“I think, in general, it’s always been our intent the whole season just coming out and being more physical than the other team,” Isaiah Hartenstein said. “We watched a lot of scout [film], so just trying to be physical with everyone out there. Thought we did a good job last game.”
In Game 1 the Knicks outrebounded the Cavaliers 51-38 and grabbed 17 offensive rebounds. All year long, Mitchell Robinson has been one of the best offensive rebounders in the NBA. Robinson and Hart each pulled down five offensive rebounds and Randle got the biggest rebound of the night. He hustled for an offensive rebound in the final seconds with the Knicks clinging to a two-point lead, setting up a pair of Quentin Grimes free throws that put the game out of reach.
“I mean, whenever someone, the losing team, loses in the playoffs, they're gonna bring it the next game,” Jalen Brunson said. “That's how it always is, that's how I've learned from my experience is that the next game, it's always more intensity, more physicality and all that. I expect them to adjust, they're a great team, great coach, they played well all year, they play really well here. So it's things that everyone may talk about it, but it's gonna happen. They’re a great team for a reason.
“I think we executed our game plan well. The refs have a tough job to do. You got to give them credit night in and night out. But for us, we go out there and play our game and react to certain things.”
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.
