Knicks in need of help for Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle entering Game 3

When he was asked what he expected in Friday night’s Game 3, Donovan Mitchell simply said, “Chaos.” And for a playoff game at Madison Square Garden, the expectations are that: chaos, heroics, memories and noise. Gut-shaking, floor-rattling noise.

But for the Knicks, with all of those expectations, they were focused on something simpler.

Performing.

Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle approached the postseason debut at the Garden with a calm demeanor, talking about their mental preparation that allows them to remain stoic. But too many of their teammates have appeared to be wide-eyed, overwhelmed by the atmosphere of the postseason.

RJ Barrett had started seven postseason games entering Friday, five against Atlanta two years ago and the two in Cleveland. And in that span, he shot 34.7% from the field and 25.0% from three-point range. In the first two games, he was 6-for-25 overall and 1-for-8 from three-point range.

Immanuel Quickley was a little-used bench piece two years ago and now is a major part of the Knicks’ success — but he didn’t make his first shot in the series until the third quarter of Game 2. And Quentin Grimes has been called the team’s best shooter but was 1-for-8 in his first two postseason games.

For the Knicks to succeed, they need what they had all season long — a team that played hard and with depth to make up for the lack of an unquestionable superstar. They have assured anyone who will listen that they will not be outhustled again. But the help behind Brunson and Randle — is that arriving?

“I’m itching to get a win,” Barrett said. “If that happens in the process, it does. Of course I want to play well, but I think at this point in the season, winning is just so important.

“We all have to make shots. That obviously helps as well as when we’re making shots, we relieve pressure off of [Brunson] and relieve pressure off [Randle]. Just try to play team basketball and get a win. That’s important any way we can get it.”

It is no different for the Knicks than it is for the Cavaliers. The Knicks have worked to get the ball out of Mitchell’s hands, and in the first two games, they helped off shooters on the weak side. It worked in Game 1 when the Cavs’ offense struggled outside of Mitchell. In Game 2, the plan didn’t quite work as Darius Garland and Caris LeVert took advantage of the openings and totaled 56 points.

The Cavs have done the same thing, sending traps and blitzes at Brunson to force him to give the ball up. And his help did not come through in those first two games.

“Just make ourselves available, make ourselves easy outlets, especially when he’s getting blitzed,” Quickley said. “And just make plays. When he’s getting blitzed, it’s four-on-three on the back side. Get easy shots, take easy shots, make easy shots.

“Keep shooting ’em. You gotta keep shooting ’em. Make or miss, you have to have confidence every time you step on the floor. New game every game, and I’m sure that the Garden’s gonna be rocking tonight, but you got to keep shooting with confidence every time.”

“You do everything as a team,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “So you play well as a team. We didn’t play as well as we would’ve liked in Game 2 as a team. It’s not an individual sport. You don’t necessarily have to shoot well to play well . . . Sometimes, getting the easy bucket, that’s what gets you going. Get an offensive rebound, kick it out for a three. That gets you going. So those hustle-type plays, those are huge, whether they’re turnover into transition, offensive rebound, a kick-out, all those things matter.”

However it happens, the Knicks have echoed their coach — just win.

“Just knowing what’s at hand and just taking each opportunity, not taking it for granted,” Quickley said. “We have a great chance to do something special and we want to continue to just play the way we’ve been playing, continue to play hard, continue to lock in on the defensive end and just try to get stops and try to get a win.”

By Steve Popper

steve.popper@newsday.com@StevePopper

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.