A long, hard road later, the New York Knicks rolled past the Cleveland Cavaliers and into the second round of the NBA playoffs. Jalen Brunson’s 23 points led in a 106-95 victory against a hapless Cavs offense that got too desperate too quickly.
Dominant rebounding. Stopping every Cavs run before it could ever really get going. New York basketball and its signature grit, and the Knicks put on a master class. The Miami Heat or Milwaukee Bucks await.
Some takeaways:
Boards, boards, and more boards. Cleveland was a weak rebounding team all year despite having the league’s top defense.