The New York Knicks are two wins away from their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999, and head coach Mike Brown made it clear after Thursday’s 109-93 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers that his team’s mindset was just as important as the box score.
Brown repeatedly pointed to Josh Hart as the emotional tone-setter after the forward scored a playoff career-high 26 points in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals at Madison Square Garden.
“Just a whale of a game from Josh,” Brown said. “He’s a gamer. When you have guys that are gamers, they do stuff that people don’t think that they can do at any time.”
Hart finished 10-for-21 from the field and 5-for-11 from 3-point range after opening 0-for-3 from deep. Brown said the Knicks wanted Hart to continue shooting because Cleveland’s defense was sagging off him to protect the paint.
“If his feet are set and Jarrett Allen wants to play in the paint, shoot it,” Brown said. “And we’ll figure out the rest of the game after that.”
The Knicks improved to 9-0 in the postseason after overcoming a brief third-quarter tie with an 18-0 run that changed the game. Brown connected that stretch to New York’s transition attack and improved ball movement.
“We have to play fast, so we’re not going against a set defense all the time,” Brown said. “When you get out in transition, if you’re a team that cross-matches and you get out in transition, it’s going to be hard for you to find the right bodies.”
Brown also praised Jalen Brunson for adjusting after Cleveland aggressively trapped him following his 38-point performance in Game 1. Brunson scored 19 points and delivered a playoff career-high 14 assists while committing only three turnovers.
“As an MVP candidate, Jalen Brunson’s job is to make the game easier for his teammates and that’s what he did,” Brown said. “If you send the second guy at him, he’s going to make the game easier for his teammates.”
Brown credited the Knicks’ spacing for helping Brunson create opportunities, specifically mentioning offensive coordinator Chris Jent and assistant coach TJ Saint as key contributors behind the scenes.
The Knicks shot 51.8% from the field and assisted on 32 of their 44 baskets. Brown emphasized the importance of “sprays,” a term he used to describe quick kick-out passes after paint touches.
“We had 15 sprays this game compared to nine sprays in Game 1,” Brown said. “When we hit that paint, we have to play off of two because they do a good job of protecting the paint.”
Defensively, Brown said the Knicks made critical adjustments after Cleveland grabbed nine offensive rebounds in the first half. The Cavaliers managed only four offensive boards after halftime.
“Our guys did a pretty good job of trying to pay attention and lock in on the details,” Brown said.
Still, Brown acknowledged there were areas that concerned him, especially Cleveland’s 26 free-throw attempts in the second half and the shooting threat posed by Max Strus and Sam Merrill.
“We have to do a better job getting to their shooters,” Brown said. “Those guys are more than capable of doing it.”
Despite New York taking a 2-0 series lead, Brown cautioned against expecting the Cavaliers to fade. Cleveland previously rallied from 0-2 deficits against both Toronto and Detroit earlier in the playoffs.
“Coach Kenny, he’s an excellent coach and they have a load of talent on that team,” Brown said. “We know those guys are hungry and they don’t quit.”
Game 3 is scheduled for Saturday in Cleveland.
