Knicks go up 2-0 in Eastern Conference finals with Game 2 win over Cavaliers

The New York Knicks took control of the Eastern Conference finals with a 109-93 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 2 on Thursday, May 21, at Madison Square Garden. New York now leads the best-of-seven series 2-0 after following its Game 1 comeback with a more straightforward win in the second game. Josh Hart led the Knicks with a playoff career-high 26 points, and Jalen Brunson added 18 points with a playoff career-high 14 assists. NBA.com said all five Knicks starters scored at least 18 points in a lineup bounce-back after a shakier opener. ### How did Game 2 get away from Cleveland? The Knicks turned the game in the third quarter with an 18-0 run that broke open a tie and pushed them to a 71-53 lead. Yahoo Sports and NBC New York both identified that stretch as the decisive sequence after Cleveland had briefly pulled even early in the half. New York had needed a late rally to win Game 1, but this time it built separation sooner and kept it. (nba.com) Cleveland cut the deficit to seven early in the fourth quarter, but the Cavaliers did not complete the kind of comeback New York produced two nights earlier. Yahoo Sports reported Cleveland’s free-throw shooting hurt its push, and the Knicks extended the margin again in the final minutes. (sports.yahoo.com) ### Why was Josh Hart the standout in this one? Josh Hart finished with 26 points, seven assists and two steals, according to game summaries and box-score reports. NBA.com said it was the highest playoff scoring total of Hart’s career, and NBC New York reported he hit 5 of 11 from 3-point range after missing his first three attempts. Hart told NBC New York, “I knew I had to just keep shooting and if I did that I’d be good.” (sports.yahoo.com) Jalen Brunson still shaped the game even without a 30-point night. NBA.com said Brunson “willingly” gave up the ball more often, and his 14 assists were a playoff career high. That helped New York get balanced production across the starting group rather than leaning almost entirely on Brunson’s shot creation. (cdn-uat.nba.com) ### How unusual is this start for the Knicks? ESPN said New York’s 2-0 lead is the franchise’s first lead of that size in a conference finals since 1994. CBS Sports also noted the Knicks have won nine straight playoff games dating to Game 4 of the first round. Those markers put the start in historical context for a team seeking its first NBA Finals appearance since 1999, as NBC New York reported. (nba.com) Game 1 had already been a notable swing. The Athletic reported the Knicks erased a 22-point fourth-quarter deficit in a 115-104 overtime win, the largest playoff comeback in franchise history and the second-largest fourth-quarter playoff comeback since 2000. Game 2 gave New York a different kind of result: a lead it built and protected. (cbssports.com) ### What does Cleveland need before the series shifts? Donovan Mitchell and the Cavaliers return home facing a 0-2 deficit after dropping both games in New York. The available recaps do not show Cleveland matching New York’s balance in Game 2, and the Cavaliers now need a response at Rocket Arena to keep the series from moving to the brink. (nytimes.com) CBS Sports lists Game 3 for Saturday, May 23, in Cleveland, with an 8 p.m. ET tip on ABC. CBS Sports’ team page also lists Game 4 for Monday, May 25, back in Cleveland if the series continues on schedule. (cbssports.com) (sports.yahoo.com)