This was THE question we asked ourselves about the Knicks upstream of this Game 3, after a missed Game 2 in large widths, Tuesday evening: could they bounce back?
We have our answer, and this one is rather reassuring for New York fans: it’s a big yes. For the first game of the series at Madison Square Garden, absolutely electric, unsurprisingly, the players of new York actually set the record straight after the debacle of the previous match: a victory of 20 points!
The gap even went up to 27 points in the “garbage time”, and this is simply explained: the Knicks took out the barbed wire in defense to stifle the Riderswho totally thwarted in attack (39% in shots), like the completely failed evening of Darius Garland (4/21). JB Bickerstaff’s players finish with their lowest points-scored total of the season.
First of all, a very closed and choppy match offensively in the first quarter (17-17, including 10 points from the only RJ Barrett on the Knicks side), this Game 3 gave some indications of the relationship in force thereafter, when the Knicks joined the locker room at +13 (45-32), thanks to a defense solid enough to both stop Cleveland’s attack, and limit the damage of the ineffectiveness of theirs.
Then the second half was only a confirmation of this relationship in force, which became extremely unbalanced at the end of the third act, after a rise in power of the Knicks’ attack, and particularly of Jalen Brunson. To the delight of a “MSG” hot as embers, Tom Thibodeau and his men spent a quiet fourth quarter, once again securing the advantage in this series, with style.
Sunday evening, at Game 4, the New York players will even have the opportunity to take the break. An absolute “must-win” for Cleveland players…
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– The return to the forefront of RJ Barrett. He was in great difficulty in the first two games, and even at the end of the regular season. In this, this Game 3 effectively marked his return to the fore in the game of the Knicks. In rhythm and success with his entry shot (10 points in the first quarter, in particular), precious in defense, the Canadian winger delivered a great match: 19 points at 8/12 on shots, with 8 rebounds and 3 assists. Important for his confidence, and for the chances of the Knicks, who can drive home the point in this series with the former Dukie at his best.
– A perfect reaction from the Knicks. We can only applaud the New York formation, whose reaction lived up to expectations, after a completely failed Game 2. Carried by an epic atmosphere in the “MSG”, Tom Thibodeau’s men indeed showed a very reassuring face, and delivered the perfect match: a concrete defense in the first half, to compensate for a fleeting address, then an ability to show no mercy after returning from the locker room, with an attack that finally found continuity, to kill the match at the end of the third quarter, and regain control of the series with style, and an opportunity to do the Sunday break, still at “MSG”. Kudos to the Knicks.
TOPS & FLOPS
✅ The Knicks Defense. Before this Game 3, not once this season the Cavaliers had completed a game with less than 80 points scored. The Knicks did it, limiting their opponents to 79 points, 39% on shots at that. The men of “Thibs” may have played their best defense of the whole season, and the teammates of a very lonely Donovan Mitchell (22 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals), as in Game 1, n did not exist in attack, extinguished by the physical intensity of their opponents in their half of the field. The killer statistic: 20 ball losses caused by the Knicks, who scored 28 points on these ball losses! For the second time in three games, Cleveland is having a hole on offense, and it’s getting worrisome, as New York has found the formula to slow them down.
✅ Jalen Brunson. Not a lot of skill in the first half, but a gradual increase in power in the second period. In the end, a boss game, as usual, for the New York leader: 21 points (10/18), 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals. Faced, successively, with Darius Garland, Cedi Osman, Isaac Okoro and Caris LeVert, “JB” notably enjoyed himself at mid-distance, and in the attack of the circle.
✅ Mitchell Robinson. Without being “flashy”, the Knicks pivot delivered a complete performance, with 7 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks! He flew over his duel against the interior pair Evan Mobley – Jarrett Allen, dominating the paint with his rebounds and verticality in front of the circle.
✅ The dominance of the Knicks bench. No surprise here, as we know the limits of Cleveland’s “second unit”, but a hell of an X factor all the same: +25 in favor of the Knicks substitutes (39-14), under the impetus in particular of a super Josh Hart (13 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals), and Immanuel Quickley finally entered his series (11 points and 2 assists). On this series, the Knicks manage the minutes of the benches better, and it becomes worrying for Cleveland as it is a weak point…
⛔️ Darius Garland. Strong man of Game 2 on the Cavaliers side, the leader suddenly found solid ground since he spent a nightmarish evening on the boards of the Garden: 10 points at 4/21 on shots!! In great pain with his entry shot (1/12 at the break), the former Vanderbilt was not of much use in an attack that was mediocre anyway, especially since he was dominated in defense by Jalen Brunson. To top it off: he hurt his ankle at the start of the last quarter… A horrible evening, one to quickly forget.
THE FOLLOWING
– Game 4: Sunday at 7 p.m., still in New York.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D= defensive rebound; T = Total Bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Points = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
