Knicks Take Game 1!

             The Knicks march into Cleveland and take Game 1 away from the Cavs! My goal for the Knicks to be successful in this series was to go into Cleveland and take at least 1 out of 2, that way they will have an advantage when heading back to MSG and they did just that.

             Just hours before the game, we had no idea if Julius Randle would suit up or not in this crucial game 1, but he did and was one of the biggest impacts for the Knicks. In fact, he basically sealed the game with the huge offensive rebound that lead to two made free throws to win the game. 

            The Knicks played a great game and did a great job in taking the crowd out of the game for most of it. They lead most of the game until the final two minutes when the Cavs took the lead by 1 but then the Knicks did not look back.

            A huge Josh Hart three-pointer then a Jalen Brunson fadeaway were two huge baskets that contributed to this victory. Hart, Brunson, and Randle were the three best players on the court the entire game bringing a great impact on every single possession.

            One thing that I saw with the Knicks defense is that they took every Cavs player not named Donovan Mitchell out of the game in the second half. Mitchell filled up the stat sheet in the second half for the Cavs with the Knicks turning the Cavs offense into a one-man wrecking crew. 

            Mitchell had to do it all himself and although he's a great player and one of the best performers in the playoffs, against a team like the Knicks, he cannot do it all himself. The Knicks recognized this as they totally limited Darius Garland and other notable Cavs players throughout the second half. 

            There were notable players on the Knicks who did not have their best games and nowhere near their best games such as Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett. The fact that these two essential pieces did not have good games and the Knicks still won is a very promising sign.

            Quickley has been the best 6th-man in the NBA this season and should definitely bounce back next game. RJ Barrett did a lot of things right in this game, but the things he did wrong had a bigger impact. He turned the ball over a lot and was just so inconsistent on three-pointers like he has been all season.

            When it comes to RJ Barrett, a lot of people are quick to jump that he sucks and he's not built for New York, but in the end he's a 22 year old who came into the NBA when he was 19 and is still average just under 20 points a game. Barrett has not been the best player as of late, but his time will come if he keeps working at it. 

            Without the play and addition of Josh Hart, the Knicks would be nowhere near as successful as they are now without him. Hart brings it every single game on both ends of the floor and some of the most beneficial things he does for the team does not appear in the box score. He is the definition of a player with hustle that never runs out. 

            The Knicks impressed me a lot on Saturday night and have now turned game 2 into a must-win for the Cavs. Although it is not a must-win for the Knicks anymore, it would be nice to head back to NYC up 2-0 in the series. The Knicks are here and they are trying to make a statement.