Knicks take 2-0 Eastern Conference lead with 109-91 win over Cavaliers

The New York Knicks beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 109-91 on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden to take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals. Josh Hart scored a playoff career-high 26 points for New York, according to The Athletic. The win followed the Knicks’ 115-104 overtime comeback in Game 1 on Tuesday, when they erased a 22-point fourth-quarter deficit. (nytimes.com) New York now heads to Cleveland with a two-game cushion after holding serve at home. (nytimes.com) The result gave the Knicks a more conventional win after the series opened with one of the largest postseason comebacks in franchise history, as The Athletic and CBS New York described it. (foxsports.com) ### How different was Game 2 from the opener? Tuesday’s Game 1 ended with the Knicks rallying from 22 points down in the fourth quarter for a 115-104 overtime victory. CBS New York, citing the Associated Press, said Jalen Brunson scored 38 points in that game as New York closed with one of the NBA’s biggest postseason comebacks. (nytimes.com) Thursday’s Game 2 did not require that kind of recovery. The Athletic reported that New York beat Cleveland 109-91 and moved to 2-0 in the series, with Hart delivering the top scoring line of the night for the Knicks. (nytimes.com) ### Why did Josh Hart stand out? Josh Hart scored 26 points, a playoff career high, in the Game 2 win, The Athletic reported. Hart also made five 3-pointers, according to The Athletic’s game coverage. Newsday described Hart’s performance as central to the Knicks’ control of the game at Madison Square Garden. The crowd was already in full voice before introductions, Newsday reported, and Hart supplied the scoring punch as New York took command of the series. (cbsnews.com) ### What does 2-0 mean heading into Cleveland? The Knicks have won the first two games of the series in New York and will now travel to Cleveland for Game 3. (nytimes.com) Fox Sports’ game page listed the Game 2 final and series situation after Thursday’s result. A 2-0 lead does not end a series, but it changes the immediate task for Cleveland. (nytimes.com) The Cavaliers now need a home response after dropping both games at Madison Square Garden, including one in which they led by 22 points in the fourth quarter. ### How unusual was that Game 1 comeback? (newsday.com) The Athletic said New York’s Game 1 rally was historic, noting the Knicks overcame a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter before winning in overtime. The outlet said it was the second-largest fourth-quarter comeback in the playoffs since 2000 and the largest playoff comeback in Knicks franchise history. (foxsports.com) Yahoo Sports also described the rally as the largest fourth-quarter comeback in the NBA playoffs in 13 years. That gave the Knicks the opener and set up Thursday’s chance to build a firmer series edge. (cbsnews.com) ### What comes next in the series? Game 3 will be in Cleveland after the first two games were played at Madison Square Garden. Fox Sports and other game listings identified Thursday’s contest as Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals and showed New York ahead 2-0. The NBA’s postseason schedule continues with the conference finals before the NBA Finals begin on June 3, according to ESPN’s playoff schedule page. (nytimes.com) (espn.com) (foxsports.com) (sports.yahoo.com)