The Knicks Are One Game Away From Round Two

RJ's biggest supporters have often argued that his greatest strength is unshakable self-confidence and his ability to bounce back from poor performances. Barrett has made those fans look prophetic...

Although the Knicks greatly exceeded expectations from December through March, many pundits predicted New York would struggle in the playoffs. A team can sustain success during the regular season by relying on depth and grit, but you need an elite superstar(s) to advance in the postseason, critics claimed. 

Well, after beating Cleveland 102-93 at The Garden on Sunday, the Knicks are now just a win away from the second round. And, once again, New York notched a victory due to a collective team effort. 

Let's start with RJ Barrett, whose resurgence these past two games has been nothing short of miraculous. With the team's leading scorer, Julius Randle, struggling mightily (more on that in a few), New York desperately needed RJ to fill the void and produce on the offensive end. And he did just that, pouring in 26 points on 9-of-18 shooting Sunday afternoon, setting a new playoff career high. 

Over the first two games of this series, Barrett scored:
21 points on 25 FG attempts (6-of-25).

In Games 3 and 4 this weekend, Barrett scored:
45 points on 30 FG attempts (17-of-30). 

RJ's biggest supporters have often argued that his greatest strength is unshakable self-confidence and his ability to bounce back from poor performances. Barrett has made those fans look prophetic over the past few days. The key to RJ's renaissance has been his insistence on attacking the tin. Barrett was 0-for-6 from downtown in Game 4 but still tallied 26 points on 18 total attempts because he was 9-of-12 from two-point territory. Credit to Thibs for creating actions that get RJ moving to his left and heading downhill. And credit to Barrett for blowing past defenders when they close out too hard. Yes, he was just 8-of-13 from the charity stripe on Sunday, but his ability to draw fouls was a huge factor. 

With 3:30 left in the third quarter, RJ grabbed a defensive rebound and pushed the ball up the floor when he encountered Evan Mobley at the rim and got the Cavs forward up in the air. It was Mobley's fourth foul of the contest, and Cleveland was forced to sub him out for the rest of the quarter. 

With 9:40 remaining in regulation, Barrett drove past Mobley off a brush screen and used an inside-hand layup for the And-1. It was Mobley's fifth foul. 

With less than two minutes left in the game, RJ drew Mobley's sixth and final foul on a crafty slash to the basket.

Keeping Mobley, the Cavs' best defender, in foul trouble is a substantial ancillary benefit of RJ's aggressiveness. 

And before we get to the two Nova Boys, we must give Mitchell Robinson a hefty heaping of praise. Mitch Rob has dominated his matchup with Jarrett Allen throughout the series, and that was certainly the case on Sunday, as Robinson racked up 12 points (5-for-7 FGs), 11 rebounds, and two blocks. 

Seven of his 11 boards came on the offensive end, which equaled the offensive rebound total of the entire Cavs team combined. Remarkably, Robinson has at least five O-boards in three of the four games in this series. Despite averaging 26.3 minutes a night, he leads all NBA players in this category this postseason. Mitch Rob is the first Knicks with 5+ offensive caroms and 2+ blocks in back-to-back playoff games since Patrick Ewing in 1994.

And when Robinson has subbed out, Isaiah Hartenstein has picked up the slack. Hartenstein had eight boards and two swats of his own on Sunday. When the Knicks were getting hit with haymakers in the third quarter of Game 4, iHart and Robinson protected the paint defensively and attacked the glass on the other end of the floor, allowing New York to stay within striking distance. 

Josh Hart played his first career postseason game ten days ago and helped will New York to victory in Game 1. He made his MSG playoff debut on Friday and had another phenomenal all-around performance. On Sunday, with Quentin Grimes sidelined by a bruised right shoulder, Hart started a postseason contest for the first time. And to the surprise of no one, he exploded for 19 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals. Some guys are made to play in New York and play in big games. Hart is one of the dudes/dawgs.

If Josh Hart is the beating heart of the Knicks, then Jalen Brunson is their brilliant brain.