Knicks take 2-0 lead vs Cavaliers

The New York Knicks beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 109-93 on Thursday, May 21, at Madison Square Garden to move ahead 2-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals. Josh Hart scored a playoff career-high 26 points, Jalen Brunson added 19 points and 14 assists, and Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds, according to NBA.com’s game recap. (nba.com) The victory gave New York its ninth straight playoff win and left the Knicks two wins from their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999. Cleveland got 26 points from Donovan Mitchell and 18 from James Harden, but the Cavaliers fell behind for good during an 18-0 Knicks run in the third quarter. (nba.com) The run turned a tie game early in the half into a 71-53 New York lead, and the Knicks did not let Cleveland repeat the late comeback pressure of Game 1. ### How did New York separate after another tight start? The third quarter decided Game 2. NBA.com said the game was tied early in the period before the Knicks held Cleveland scoreless on nine straight possessions during an 18-0 burst. (nba.com) That sequence gave New York enough room to control the final stretch. Madison Square Garden saw a different finish than Game 1. Two nights after the Knicks erased a 22-point fourth-quarter deficit, New York built the margin earlier this time and had its starters on the bench by the final minute, when fans chanted “Knicks in four!” according to the Associated Press report carried on NBA.com. (nba.com) ### Why was Josh Hart the central Game 2 figure? Josh Hart finished with 26 points, seven assists and five 3-pointers, all playoff career highs or near them for the night, as Cleveland repeatedly helped off him on the perimeter. (nba.com) NBA.com’s takeaways report said the Cavaliers used Hart’s defender to crowd Brunson, leaving Hart open from deep. Knicks coach Mike Brown singled him out afterward. “Just a whale of a game from Josh,” Brown said, according to the AP game recap on NBA.com. (nba.com) ### How unusual is a nine-game playoff winning streak? Nine straight postseason wins is the longest active run of this year’s playoffs and, according to NBA.com, the longest postseason winning streak since the Boston Celtics won 10 straight on the way to the 2024 title. John Schuhmann of NBA.com wrote that the Knicks did not even post a nine-game winning streak during the regular season. (nba.com) The streak has carried New York through the previous round and the first two games against Cleveland. NBA.com said all five Knicks starters scored at least 18 points in Game 2, a sign of the balanced scoring that steadied them after the Game 1 comeback. (nba.com) ### What did Cleveland say about the 2-0 hole? Donovan Mitchell said the Cavaliers had been in this position before. “Nothing to hang our head about,” Mitchell said after the loss, according to the AP report on NBA.com. “They protected home court, and we’ve seen this before so we’re going to go to Game 3.” (nba.com) Karl-Anthony Towns gave the Knicks’ view of the reset. “In our mind it’s 0-0,” Towns said, according to the same report. “We’ve got to win the next game. It’s the most important game of the year and that’s how we treat it.” (nba.com) ### When and where does the series resume? Game 3 is scheduled for Saturday, May 23, at Rocket Arena in Cleveland. NBA.com lists the tip at 8 p.m. ET, and Sports Illustrated’s Knicks schedule report says Game 3 will air on ABC. If needed, Game 4 is set for Monday, May 25, in Cleveland, with the NBA Finals scheduled to begin June 3. (nba.com)