Knicks Advance To NBA Finals; Jalen Brunson Named ECF MVP
The Knicks‘ dominant playoff run continued on Monday, as they blew out the Cavaliers by 37 points to complete another 4-0 sweep. New York has now advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.
Following the Knicks’ Game 4 win, the league announced the full schedule for the Finals (via Twitter). Game 1 against either San Antonio or Oklahoma City will tip off at 8:30 ET on Wednesday, June 3. All of the games will air on ABC.
Jalen Brunson was the unanimous choice as Most Valuable Player of the Eastern Conference finals, per the NBA (Twitter links). The Knicks’ captain and star point guard received the Larry Bird trophy for claiming the award, which was voted on by nine media members.
Brunson averaged 25.5 points, 7.8 assists and 3.3 rebounds in 39.5 minutes per game during the four-game series.
While there was plenty of drama in Game 1 of the conference final matchup with Cleveland, including a 22-point fourth quarter comeback, the Knicks thoroughly outplayed the Cavs in the other three contests, winning comfortably on each occasion. New York defeated Atlanta in the first round of round of the playoffs and swept Philadelphia in round two.
The Knicks actually lost two of their first three playoff games this spring, but that’s a distant memory at this point. They have now reeled off 11 consecutive victories, tied for the third-longest postseason streak in league history (Twitter link). New York has outscored its opponents by 262 points over that span, the best point differential over 11 games — regular season or playoffs — in NBA history, tweets Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
New York’s +19.4 average point differential this postseason is the largest for any team entering the NBA Finals in league history, according to Keerthika Uthayakumar (Twitter link). The 2017 Warriors previously held the record at +16.3.
The Knicks will be vying for their third NBA championship and first since 1973. This will be their ninth trip to the NBA Finals.
The Western Conference final matchup between the Thunder and Spurs is still ongoing, with the series currently tied 2-2. Game 5 is set for Tuesday in Oklahoma City. Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell had been ruled out, while Jalen Williams is questionable to play due to a hamstring injury.
Knicks Notes: Brown, Towns, Shamet, Anunoby, Winning Streak
The Knicks‘ decision to replace Tom Thibodeau as head coach was one of the most controversial moves of last summer, but Mike Brown has the organization on the verge of its first NBA Finals appearance since 1999. It wasn’t always a smooth transition, as Karl-Anthony Towns in particular struggled to adjust to the new system, but Towns offered a strong endorsement of Brown after Saturday’s Game 3 win at Cleveland, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv.
“With Mike, he had to learn us and adjust to us,” Towns said. “On the flip side, we had to do the same as well. Now, we are at a point where we are both working seamlessly. We understand each other’s language. He is getting the best from us and we are getting the best from him. I think that speaks to a season, especially a first season with a new coach and a new system and a new philosophy. It’s a testament to the players to do an amazing job coming together and showing that unity that made us special last year. But the coaching staff being receptive to the players and adjusting with us and finding the way to get the most out of us.”
Begley notes that while Thibodeau was notorious for giving heavy minutes to his starters, Brown has made it a priority to develop a reliable second unit. Landry Shamet, Jordan Clarkson and Jose Alvarado have joined Miles McBride and Mitchell Robinson as dependable contributors off the bench during the team’s playoff run.
“Everybody wants to see each other do well genuinely,” Shamet said. “I mean that. If you guys write that in your report, it’s not some locker room banter or BS. It’s like spiritual with this group. You know, we’ve got a lot of guys who are more than capable of being in certain situations, and we cheer each other on. Next man up. It’s a beautiful thing, and it’s what we have, and this locker room. So it’s special.”
There’s more on the Knicks:
- OG Anunoby said it was “cool” to receive Second-Team All-Defensive recognition, but his teammates and coaches see it as more of a slight than an honor, Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News writes in a subscriber-only piece. “The versatility he brings to this team — we’re a top-five defensive team. Top-five defensive team, OK?” Brown said. “… The versatility that that guy brings to this team is off the charts, and I hope the voters get it right the next time around. I’m happy he’s Second Team. He deserves something, but it was wrong.”
- Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson has been impressed by the Knicks’ ability to avoid any kind of “letdown” in the playoffs, relays Zach Braziller of The New York Post. The team has won 10 straight games, many in convincing fashion, and is outscoring opponents by an average of 22.5 PPG during that stretch.
- While New Yorkers are ecstatic about the prospect of reaching the NBA Finals for the first time in 27 years, the team remains focused on the need to get one more win, per Steve Popper of Newsday (subscription required). Players plan to approach Monday’s Game 4 at Cleveland the same as any other playoff contest. “We don’t wanna get ahead of ourselves, because as soon as we start getting ahead of ourselves, that’s when disaster always occurs, it seems,” Brown said. “And so for us, starting with me, making sure everybody in the organization on down understands it’s about the next game. And really, it’s about the next possession. And I try to block out everything else as best I can and not think about ‘what ifs,’ because I know for me, it would distract me 100% at this time of the year.”
NBA Announces 2025/26 All-NBA Teams
The league has officially announced its three All-NBA teams, recognizing the top performers for the 2025/26 season (all Twitter links).
A total of 100 media members voted on the All-NBA teams, with First Team votes counting for five points, Second Team votes counting for three points, and Third Team votes counting for one point.
This year’s All-NBA teams are as follows (each player’s point total is noted in parentheses):
First Team
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder (500 points)- Nikola Jokic, Nuggets (500)
- Victor Wembanyama, Spurs (498)
- Luka Doncic, Lakers (482)
- Cade Cunningham, Pistons (414)
Second Team
- Jaylen Brown, Celtics (384)
- Kawhi Leonard, Clippers (277)
- Donovan Mitchell, Cavaliers (276)
- Kevin Durant, Rockets (241)
- Jalen Brunson, Knicks (197)
Third Team
- Tyrese Maxey, Sixers (168)
- Jamal Murray, Nuggets (149)
- Jalen Johnson, Hawks (125)
- Jalen Duren, Pistons (121)
- Chet Holmgren, Thunder (87)
Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic, this season’s Most Valuable Player and runner-up, respectively, were the only unanimous first-teamers, with Wembanyama coming a single vote away — he had one Second Team vote to go along with 99 First Team votes.
Doncic and Cunningham each technically fell short of meeting the 65-game minimum required to be eligible for All-NBA and other major awards, but they appealed that ruling and were deemed award-eligible by the league. Doncic would have met the criteria if he hadn’t missed time due to the birth of a child, while Cunningham fell short after suffering a collapsed lung, so both players were granted “extraordinary circumstances” exceptions.
Notably, Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, who played 61 games, also applied for an extraordinary circumstances exception. However, his request was denied, so his name didn’t show up on award ballots even though he likely would’ve been voted onto an All-NBA team if voters could’ve selected him. Stephen Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and LeBron James – who had made 21 consecutive All-NBA teams – were among the other superstars who didn’t meet the 65-game criteria.
Outside of the 15 players who made All-NBA teams, another dozen players showed up on at least one ballot, starting with Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija, who had 26 voting points (Twitter link).
Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (14 points), Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (9), Cavaliers guard James Harden (6), Rockets center Alperen Sengun (6), Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (5), Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5), Heat big man Bam Adebayo (4), and Celtics guard Derrick White (3) all earned multiple votes, while Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg, Raptors forward Brandon Ingram, and Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley earned one Third Team vote apiece.
As usual, there are also financial implications worth noting related to the All-NBA teams. First and foremost, Duren will now be eligible to sign a contract with the Pistons that starts at up to 30% of the 2026/27 salary cap as a restricted free agent this summer. That means he could earn up to a projected $287.1MM over five years.
If he hadn’t made All-NBA, Duren’s maximum five-year contract with Detroit would’ve been worth a projected $239.3MM. Either way, the most a rival team can offer him is four years and $177.4MM.
Maxey and Cunningham are on their way to meeting the super-max (ie. Designated Veteran) criteria but would need to earn All-NBA honors again in 2027 to become eligible for maximum-salary extensions worth up to 35% of the cap instead of 30%.
Wembanyama is in a similar boat — despite making the All-NBA First Team and being named Defensive Player of the Year, he would need to achieve one of those feats again in 2027 in order to increase the maximum value of his next contract from 25% to the cap to 30% via the Rose rule. Wembanyama will be eligible to sign a rookie scale extension this offseason and is a lock to do so.
Paolo Banchero and Jalen Williams had Rose rule language in their maximum-salary rookie scale extensions, which were signed last offseason and will go into effect this July. They could’ve increased their respective starting salaries beyond 25% of the cap if they’d made an All-NBA team, but neither player did.
Interestingly, the maximum-salary rookie scale extension that the Thunder negotiated with Holmgren in 2025 did not include a Rose rule escalator, so the projected value of the big man’s contract (five years, $239.3MM) remains unchanged even though he earned a spot on the Third Team. It’ll go into effect this year and will be identical to Williams’ deal.
Finally, Edwards would have become eligible to sign a super-max extension with the Timberwolves during the 2027 offseason if he had been named to an All-NBA team this season. Because he didn’t qualify, he’ll need to make All-NBA next season in order to meet the performance criteria for a Designated Veteran extension.
Knicks Notes: Bridges, Shamet, Anunoby, Towns
The Knicks‘ decision to give up five first-round picks in a trade for Mikal Bridges has been relitigated frequently over the past couple years, but it’s time to “let that argument die,” according to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic, who contends that the veteran forward is showing in this postseason why the team was right to pay the price it took to acquire him.
After scoring 22 points on 11-of-15 shooting on Saturday, Bridges has now compiled 59 points with a ridiculous .711/.500/1.000 shooting line through three games vs. Cleveland while serving as the primary defender on James Harden. The 29-year-old hasn’t put up the scoring numbers in New York that he did in Brooklyn, but that’s because the Knicks haven’t asked him to be that kind of go-to-offensive option, Edwards says, pointing out that Bridges has excelled in the role the team wants him to play.
“The expectations don’t matter,” Knicks forward Josh Hart said in reference to Bridges. “That’s for y’all to talk about. There’s nothing he can do about it. He didn’t call (Knicks president) Leon (Rose) and say, ‘Yo, this is the trade package!’ He got put into this situation, and he hit the ground running. We wouldn’t be in this situation without him. Look, how many games has he won for us because he got a stop down the stretch? He’s won games in every single way for us. That’s why we wanted him. That’s why he’s here.”
We have more on the Knicks:
- After being out of the rotation early in the postseason, veteran wing Landry Shamet continues to solidify his spot among Mike Brown‘s regulars. On Saturday, Shamet logged a playoff-high 28 minutes and scored 14 points, knocking down a trio of fourth quarter three-pointers that helped seal the victory, writes Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. “Landry was huge,” Brown said after the victory. “And then on the other end of the floor, he’s gotta match up with a guy like Donovan Mitchell, who is a tough cover for anybody. You’re not gonna stop him, but you gotta work your tail off. Landry’s trying to work.”
- OG Anunoby was up and down in his first two games back from the hamstring injury that sidelined him in the second round, but he looked back to his usual self in Game 3, according to Zach Braziller of The New York Post. Anunoby scored 21 points on 6-of-10 shooting to go along with seven rebounds and four assists. “Each day I started feeling better and better. We have a great medical staff,” Anunoby said. “Getting stronger each day. Great team, great coaches. It’s been very collaborative.”
- While the Cavaliers defended against it in the first two games of the series, the Knicks turned back to Karl-Anthony Towns as their offensive facilitator in Game 3 and he responded by handing out more assists (seven) than he totaled in Games 1 and 2 (six), Braziller notes in another Post story. “KAT, he was our hub offensively: seven assists, zero turnovers,” Brown said. “He was really good for us offensively and defensively with three steals.”
Knicks Notes: Robinson, Towns, Bridges, Pre-Draft Workout
Knicks center Mitchell Robinson announced Saturday that he’ll be staying away from social media due to concerns about his mental health, writes Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. Robinson informed his followers on Snapchat a few hours before the start of Game 3.
“I’m deleting all apps for a little while until I can get back to myself,” he wrote. “I had a very upsetting experience a few days ago. I’m not gonna go into detail about it, just gonna focus on the playoffs and myself. I know some of you have called and texted and it popped up green. That’s because I got a new [phone] number. My mental health is not the best right now but I am fighting to get back on track while playing on the biggest stage in the world in the Eastern Conference finals.”
Schwartz states that Robinson went public regarding his mental health issues after being ejected from Game 6 of the first-round series against Atlanta for fighting with Dyson Daniels. Robinson posted on Facebook that he was “just lost in the world at the moment,” and he sent out another Facebook message on Thursday saying he would be deleting all his social media accounts.
“Last post before I delete this app,” Robinson wrote. “I finally have changed my number for many reason [sic]…as I fight through and keep fighting in this playoffs run my focus have to go to another level. This is the start of a new chapter in my life. Love and will miss y’all…. Mitch out.”
There’s more on the Knicks:
- LeBron James has been impressed by New York’s recent run of playoff dominance, Schwartz adds in another story. Speaking on his Mind the Game podcast (Twitter link), the Lakers star raved about the Knicks’ newfound versatility on offense. “The defense can’t just key on a couple of actions anymore. I thought over the last couple of years with New York, you kind of got a good rhythm of how they were gonna play. The ball was gonna end up in a certain way every single time,” James said, referring to heavy reliance on Jalen Brunson isolations and pick-and rolls. James explained that running the offense through Karl-Anthony Towns has opened up opportunities for everyone on the court.
- Cleveland has adjusted to limit the effectiveness of Towns’ passing, but the Knicks have found other ways to win and that versatility could lead to a championship, Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News suggests in a subscriber-only story. Brunson carried the scoring load with 38 points in Game 1, and Josh Hart launched a three-point barrage in Game 2. “That’s the blessing of our group,” Towns said after Saturday’s shootaround. “We have multiple ways and systems that we can utilize to help us get the win. I’ve been happy because we’ve continued to win.”
- Prior to Game 3, coach Mike Brown talked to reporters about Mikal Bridges‘ value, per Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link). “It starts with (owner) Mr. (James) Dolan because he’s willing to spend money,” Brown said. “… From there you talk about (team president) Leon Rose and his group, they identified Mikal as a two-way player and they went and got him.”
- Miami’s Tre Donaldson is the latest draft prospect to work out for the Knicks, Begley adds (Twitter link). The senior guard averaged 16.4 points and 5.7 assists per game for the Hurricanes this season.
Knicks Notes: Series Lead, Anunoby, Brunson, Pre-Draft Workouts
The Cavaliers advanced to the conference finals after trailing the Pistons 2-0 in their previous series. So the Knicks aren’t taking anything for granted with a 2-0 series lead. The series shifts to Cleveland for the next two games, beginning with Game 3 on Saturday night.
“We don’t feel any closer than we did last game or any game,” Karl-Anthony Towns said, per Jared Schwartz of the New York Post. “In our minds, it’s back to 0-0. We gotta win the next game, it’s the most important game of the year. That’s how we treat it. We’re hungry to go out there and play basketball at the highest level. But we also understand that you can never be satisfied in these positions in the playoffs. The mindset is gonna continue to be 0-0 every single time we step on that court.”
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- OG Anunoby was named to the All-Defensive Second Team on Friday. He’s been selected to the Second Team twice during his career and just missed out in 2025, when he finished 11th in overall voting. “His versatility is just off the charts and you can do a lot of things with your defense because of him,” coach Mike Brown said of Anunoby, per Zach Braziller of the New York Post.
- In the battle of star point guards, Jalen Brunson has already led the Knicks past Donovan Mitchell and the Cavs in two previous playoff series. He’s two games away from eliminating Mitchell’s team again, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post notes. Brunson is averaging 28.5 points and 10.0 assists through the first two games.
- The Knicks evaluated a couple of draft prospects on Friday. Michigan’s Morez Johnson and Florida’s Xaivian Lee visited the team’s training facility, SNY’s Ian Begley tweets. The Knicks have the 24th, 31st, and 55th overall picks in next month’s draft. The Athletic’s latest mock has Johnson getting selected at No. 17 by Oklahoma City.
Atlantic Notes: Sixers Free Agents, Nets Rookies, Brunsons
The Sixers‘ core four of Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Paul George, and Joel Embiid are all under contract for next season, but three of their rotation players are unrestricted free agents: Quentin Grimes, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Andre Drummond.
Grimes had an up-and-down season, with career-low three-point efficiency despite some strong stretches of play, particularly in March, when Maxey was injured, Gina Mizell writes for the Philadelphia Inquirer. After signing a qualifying offer last summer, it’s unclear where his relationship stands with the organization, which is currently searching for its next head of basketball ops. His potential departure could leave the once-stocked guard rotation very thin.
Meanwhile, Oubre was able to find a home in Philadelphia and it’s unclear what kind of market he’ll see this summer.
“The game of basketball has reinvented itself to me through different lenses and different eyes throughout my tenure here, and I’m forever appreciative for the opportunity to play for this city,” he said.
We have more from around the Atlantic Division:
- Entering the 2025 draft with five first-round picks, the Nets had hopes that they could jump-start their rebuild. After somewhat surprisingly using all five selections, Brooklyn was shut out of the 2026 All-Rookie awards, with only Egor Demin receiving votes. The Nets didn’t bring in these five players in order to make All-Rookie teams, C.J. Holmes writes for the New York Daily News, but the voting exemplifies how far away the franchise still is from turning things around, especially given that they fell to No. 6 in the 2026 draft lottery. While they don’t need all five of the 2025 rookies to hit, they do need to see proof moving forward that at least a couple of them can become real rotation players.
- A public confrontation between Jalen Brunson and his father, Knicks assistant coach Rick Brunson, during Game 4 of the first round immediately became social media fodder. The heated, yet respectful, exchange was nothing dramatic, however, but rather a natural part of the competitive father-son duo’s dynamic, going back to when Rick began coaching at the University of Virginia in 2007, Ian Begley writes for SNY. The elder Brunson would give his son no quarter as he put him through training, looking to see how he would respond. “I wanted to see if he would fold or if he would keep coming back,” Rick said. “Are you going to give in? Are you going to talk back? Or are you just going to work and keep showing that you can do it? I would always tell him, ‘This is what a college coach is going to do — the difference is I love you, he doesn’t.'” To the surprise of no one who has watched the Villanova champion’s career trajectory, he kept coming back.
- In case you missed it, we relayed several Knicks notes this morning in the wake of their Game 2 win over Cleveland.
NBA Announces 2025/26 All-Defensive Teams
The NBA has officially announced its All-Defensive teams for the 2025/26 season (Twitter links).
The teams are determined by a panel of 100 media members, with players receiving two points for a First Team vote and one point for a Second Team vote.
Defensive Player of the Year Victor Wembanyama was this season’s lone unanimous First Team pick, earning the maximum allowable 200 points after being named to the First Team by all 100 voters. DPOY runner-up Chet Holmgren fell short of being a unanimous pick, earning 93 First Team votes and four Second Team votes.
The honorees are as follows, along with their point totals (Twitter link):
First Team
- Victor Wembanyama, Spurs (200 points)
- Chet Holmgren, Thunder (190)
- Ausar Thompson, Pistons (166)
- Rudy Gobert, Timberwolves (151)
- Derrick White, Celtics (146)
Second Team
- Scottie Barnes, Raptors (130)
- Cason Wallace, Thunder (94)
- Bam Adebayo, Heat (71)
- OG Anunoby, Knicks (67)
- Dyson Daniels, Hawks (50)
The All-Defensive teams have been positionless for the last three years. Previously, each team was required to have two guards, two forwards, and a center, but that’s no longer the case. This season’s First Team leans more heavily toward rim protectors, while the Second Team features a wider variety of guards and wings alongside forward/center Adebayo.
This year’s All-Defensive squads feature a number of first-time honorees. Holmgren, Thompson, Barnes, and Wallace had never previously been named to an All-Defensive team. Wembanyama (2024) and Daniels (2025) had earned First Team honors once apiece prior to this year, while Anunoby made a Second Team in 2023.
Gobert is the most accomplished of these defenders — the four-time Defensive Player of the Year has now made nine total All-Defensive teams and is an eight-time member of the First Team. Adebayo is also no stranger to All-Defensive recognition either, having now made two First Teams and four Second Teams. White, meanwhile, got a First Team nod for the first time after previously making the Second Team twice.
There are four players across the league who would’ve earned bonuses if they’d made an All-Defensive team, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link), but none of them made the cut. That group includes Thunder wing Luguentz Dort, whose $500K bonus for All-Defense had been considered “likely” because he made the First Team in 2025.
That $500K will come off Dort’s cap hit this season and will reduce his 2026/27 team option by $500K to roughly $17.7MM, since the bonus is considered “unlikely” going forward. If Dort’s team option is exercised, his $500K bonus would continue to count for apron purposes next season despite not counting toward his cap hit, and he could still earn it if he makes an All-Defensive team next season.
Besides the 10 players who made All-Defense, 15 other players showed up on at least one ballot. That group was led by Spurs guard Stephon Castle (46 points), Rockets guard Amen Thompson (46), Warriors forward Draymond Green (40), and Trail Blazers forward Toumani Camara (28), each of whom was named to the First Team on between four and eight ballots.
Clippers guard Kris Dunn, who had 14 points, would have rounded out a hypothetical “third team.” Notably, his $5.7MM salary for 2026/27 would have become fully guaranteed if he had made an All-Defensive team. Still, it’s a pretty safe bet that Dunn will be retained through June 30, at which time his full salary will become guaranteed anyway.
The rest of the players who received All-Defensive votes, including Dort and former Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley, can be viewed here (Twitter link).
Knicks Notes: Hart, Brunson, Bridges, Robinson, Alvarado
Knicks forward Josh Hart was on the bench for much of the fourth quarter and overtime in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday as the team completed a historic 22-point comeback with Landry Shamet taking his place on the floor. The Knicks were outscored by 23 points when Hart was on the court in Game 1, and he made just 1-of-5 three-point tries.
It initially looked like Thursday might be another rough night for Hart, who missed his first three outside shots in the Game 2 as the Cavaliers‘ defense let him have open looks. But by the end of the night, Hart had emerged as the Knicks’ leading scorer and most effective all-around player, writes Fiifi Frimpong of The New York Daily News (subscription required). He racked up 26 points, seven assists, and a pair of steals while knocking down 5-of-11 total three-pointers in the 109-93 victory.
“Those first three, they felt good,” Hart said after the game. “Kind of frustrated with it. I’ve been putting in the reps with (assistant coaches Kwadzo Ahelegbe) and Peter Patton and I was frustrated at first. I’m just like, ‘It is not translating right now.’ And then I knew I had to just keep shooting and if I did that, I’ll be good.”
Speaking to reporters, head coach Mike Brown said he never considered going away from Hart as he struggled early in Game 2. As James L. Edwards III of The Athletic relays, Brown explained that the versatile forward is “so impactful as a connector” that he can have an impact on winning even when his shot isn’t falling.
“It’s easy for me to say because I have the utmost confidence in the world in him,” Brown said, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (subscription required). “He’s a gamer. When you have guys who are gamers, they do stuff that people don’t think they can do. And he knows the work he puts in. We know the work he puts in. His confidence is not going to waver. He’s going to put confidence in himself to take the next one and make the next one.”
Here’s more on the Knicks, who will head to Cleveland with a 2-0 lead in the Eastern finals:
- After playing hero in Game 1 by scoring 16 fourth-quarter points, Jalen Brunson had the ball forced out of hands on Thursday by the Cavaliers, who were determined not to let the star point guard beat them in Game 2, notes Zach Braziller of The New York Post. Brunson had no problem adjusting, setting a new career playoff high by handing out 14 assists. “It just shows that he plays the right way,” teammate Mikal Bridges said. “If you’re not going to send a double-team, I think it’s an advantage for him. If you send a double-team, he’s going to read and react and find the open guy. Ever since I’ve known him, he plays the right way. Kudos to him, how he works, and his understanding of the game. If you’re going to come (double-team him), he’s going to make you pay and that’s what makes him great.”
- Speaking of Bridges, he continues to be everything the Knicks hoped for when they gave up five first-round picks to acquire him and signed him to a $150MM extension, says Howie Kussoy of The New York Post. Bridges has been the Knicks’ primary defender on James Harden and has scored 37 points on 16-of-23 shooting (69.6%) through the first two games of the series. “He’s an amazing player,” Knicks forward OG Anunoby said. “He’s been his whole career. I’m not surprised at all. This is Mikal. He’s a great player.”
- While it hasn’t prevented the Knicks from building a 2-0 lead in the series, Mitchell Robinson‘s poor free throw shooting remains a concern for the team, as Jared Schwartz of The New York Post observes. After making 2-of-8 shots from the line in Game 1, Robinson missed all four of his attempts in Game 2, resulting in Brown playing him just three minutes in the second half.
- Trade deadline acquisition Jose Alvarado has averaged just 7.5 minutes per night through the first two games vs. Cleveland, but he’s having a real impact on the team even when he’s not on the court, according to the Knicks’ head coach. “We actually pointed it out to our group in practice,” Brown said on Thursday, per Schwartz. “You watch the film, he’s uplifting the entire team when he’s on the bench. He’s always talking in a positive way. He’s showing our young guys that you can impact the game if you’re present, because Jose’s always present. You’re using your voice and your energy, guys feel that on the floor. Jose’s been phenomenal.”
Cavs Notes: Game 1 Loss, Harden, Atkinson, Mitchell
After coming back from a 22-point deficit to defeat the Cavaliers in overtime in Game 1, the Knicks weren’t shy about discussing their late-game offensive strategy, as Vincent Goodwill of ESPN writes.
“It was no secret,” head coach Mike Brown told reporters. “We were attacking (James) Harden.”
As Zach Kram of ESPN details, the Knicks player who was being defended by Harden set a screen an incredible 16 times in the fourth quarter, with the team using the strategy at one point to ensure Harden was defending Jalen Brunson on 10 consecutive possessions. After going scoreless on the first two of those possessions, the Knicks scored 18 points on the next eight, including 13 from Brunson alone, Kram writes.
Still, according to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic, head coach Kenny Atkinson said during his post-game media session on Tuesday that he never considered removing Harden from the game as the Cavaliers’ lead slipped away: “He’s been one of our best defenders in these playoffs. I trust him. Smart. Great hands. I didn’t think about that.”
Atkinson doubled down on those comments on Wednesday, placing the blame for the collapse on the Cavaliers’ team defense as a whole rather than on Harden specifically.
“One thing about James: I’ll just defend him,” the Cavs’ coach said, per Zach Braziller of The New York Post. “He’s a good isolation defender, always has been. He’s super smart. I said it [Tuesday] night, he has great hands.
“… Without you, we’re knocked out in the first round,” Atkinson said of his message to Harden. “We’re in a great position, you’ve played great. Sometimes micro experiences get exaggerated. Keep being yourself.”
Here’s more on the Cavs ahead of Game 2:
- Atkinson only used one timeout as the Knicks made their fourth-quarter comeback and still had two left when the fourth quarter concluded, notes Jamal Collier of ESPN. He defended that decision after the game and cited bad luck when he discussed the Cavs’ blown lead. “They hit some really tough shots in that fourth quarter,” Atkinson said. “We got a little unlucky, quite honestly. My only regret, and this can happen when you get a little fatigued, I think it just stopped moving. We were pinging the ball all over the place, great ball movement, and then it just got a little stagnant.”
- Atkinson should have more than just one regret about the way Game 1 played out, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required), who argues that the head coach was one of the “primary culprits” of the improbable late-game collapse. In Fedor’s view, Atkinson should have taken a “clearly exhausted” Harden off the floor or at least adjusted his defensive scheme to stop letting the Knicks switch so easily onto him.
- While Atkinson spoke about getting “unlucky,” Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell offered a harsher assessment of his team’s performance down the stretch, according to Jenna Lemoncelli of The New York Post. “We f–king blew it,” Mitchell said during his post-game media session. “… That can’t happen. But it did. We play in two days. We can’t sit here and let it kill our momentum, kill what we’ve been doing. It’s not a good loss.”
- As discouraging as the Game 1 loss was, Atkinson believes that his team – which has won a pair of elimination games and came back from a 2-0 deficit in the second round against Detroit – has what it takes to bounce back and put it behind them, Braziller writes for The New York Post. “You live between misery and awesomeness in the playoffs, and this is of course misery,” Atkinson said. “But this is probably the fourth miserable game we’ve had in the playoffs. It’s like, ‘OK, get back on the horse.'”