{"id":691240,"date":"2026-05-24T09:45:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T09:45:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/691240\/"},"modified":"2026-05-24T09:45:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T09:45:08","slug":"knicks-not-content-with-simply-being-close-to-a-spot-in-the-nba-finals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/691240\/","title":{"rendered":"Knicks not content with simply being close to a spot in the NBA Finals"},"content":{"rendered":"

CLEVELAND \u2014 The New York Knicks<\/a> came into Game 3 of the 2026 Eastern Conference finals with clear marching orders.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, we\u2019ve got to play with a sense of desperation,\u201d Knicks guard Miles McBride<\/a> said after New York\u2019s Game 2 victory. \u201cWe\u2019re going to their crib. We did what we were supposed to do here, but we have to be desperate.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe gotta execute at the high level of desperation that we had in Philly and Atlanta<\/a>,\u201d All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns<\/a> said at the Knicks\u2019 Saturday shootaround.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just gotta keep playing desperate,\u201d swingman Mikal Bridges<\/a> said at shootaround. \u201cI know it’s easier for the team that’s down 0-2 to play more desperate, but that can’t be us […] to us, it\u2019s 0-0.\u201d<\/p>\n

OK, so: play desperate. To Knicks head coach Mike Brown, that means:<\/p>\n

Persistent focus and attention to detail, irrespective of score and personnel in the game<\/p>\n

A non-negotiable level of energy, effort and physicality (\u201cSometimes you might screw up a rotation or an assignment or something like that, but the energy and the effort \u2014 along with the physicality, on both ends of the floor \u2014 has to always be there\u201d)<\/p>\n

Loud, continuous, constant communication \u2014 not only on the defensive end of the floor, but also even if you\u2019re sitting on the bench. (And you probably shouldn\u2019t be sitting, because, y\u2019know: energy and effort.)<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you do those things, no matter what the score is, to me, that’s playing desperate,\u201d Brown said before Game 3. \u201cThat’s having an appropriate fear of your opponent.\u201d<\/p>\n

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While Brown leaned on the wisdom of Pop<\/a> in emphasizing vigilance to a team that hadn\u2019t lost in a month, Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson\u2019s message to his team \u2014 a squad that overcame a 2-0 deficit in the second round and had survived consecutive Game 7s \u2014 was a bit more measured, and a little less \u2026 paranoid.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that the maturity part, the even-keeledness of our team, the composure we have, the experience we have allows us to approach this in a good way,\u201d Atkinson said before Game 3. \u201cNot desperate \u2014 none of those words, those extreme words. We kind of know the task in front of us, what we\u2019ve got to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

What we learned on Saturday night in Cleveland: Desperation looks good on the Knicks \u2026<\/p>\n

\u2026 and a lack of it has the Cavs<\/a> facing elimination<\/a> after a 121-108 loss.<\/p>\n

New York jumped Cleveland from the opening tip at Rocket Arena \u2014 which, like Philadelphia\u2019s gym in the conference finals, featured more than its fair share of orange-and-blue jerseys and vociferous support for the visitors. Right from the opening seconds: A Towns trail 3 in transition; a steal and driving layup by Bridges; a dime from Towns in the post creating a layup for Jalen Brunson<\/a> as he curled off a screen; a fast break helmed by Josh Hart<\/a> that saw Bridges sprint past Dean Wade<\/a> and Donovan Mitchell<\/a> before finishing through a backpedaling James Harden<\/a> at the basket.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThey came right out of the gate running it on us,\u201d Atkinson said after the game. \u201cYou know, Mike said it. Listen, there\u2019s no big mystery. Our guys have played 50% more minutes than them. If I\u2019m the opposing coach, I\u2019m like, \u2018Man, get these guys, run these guys, wear them out, be super physical.\u2019 It\u2019s a good strategy.\u201d<\/p>\n

It bore fruit: The Knicks led 9-1 before Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce had even settled into their seats<\/a> \u2014 a strong start that Brown credited to assistant coach Chris Jent challenging New York\u2019s players \u201cto start the game right, especially with the execution of the first play, and our guys did it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Cavaliers responded, coming back to tie the game midway through the second quarter. But they would never take the lead, seeming to spend all of Saturday night chasing a Knicks team that repeatedly forced the Cavs to get on their horses and get back in transition, finishing with a 17-4 edge in fast-break points \u2014 and, perhaps more importantly, a dramatic and ever-growing edge in vitality between one team that got more than a week off after sweeping its previous series, and another that went the distance in each of the first two rounds and has been playing every other day for more than a month.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did think their physicality and energy level was much higher than ours,\u201d Atkinson said. \u201cKind of just call it what it is […] they were the more physical team tonight. I think their physicality and energy, we just couldn\u2019t get to that level to combat it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did it to ourselves,\u201d said Mitchell, who scored 23 points on 9-for-21 shooting (3-for-10 from 3-point range) with 4 assists, 3 steals and 5 turnovers in 38 minutes. \u201cWe did it to ourselves. So we can\u2019t be mad now.\u201d<\/p>\n

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They also, once again, couldn\u2019t make enough shots to stem the Knicks\u2019 relentless tide, continuing a cold snap stretching back to the fourth quarter of Game 1 in which they\u2019ve been perpetually incapable of knocking down the shot they needed at the time they needed it. Cleveland went 12-for-41 (29.3%) from 3-point range in Game 3; Atkinson\u2019s club is now shooting 29.4% from deep for the series<\/a> and averaging just 103.4 points per 100 possessions<\/a>. That mark would\u2019ve finished dead last in the NBA during the regular season<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019ve won the expected [field-goal-percentage metrics] all three games,\u201d Atkinson said. \u201cSo, it just, you know, but \u2014 there\u2019s expected and real.\u201d<\/p>\n

What was expected, before the season, is that the Cavaliers and Knicks would be the two best teams in the Eastern Conference. What\u2019s real, at this stage, is the Knicks are head and shoulders above the Cavs and have answers for absolutely everything Atkinson and Co. are trying to throw at them.<\/p>\n

After Brunson exploded in the fourth quarter and overtime of Game 1, the Cavs dialed up the pressure, trying to get the ball out of his hands and force other Knicks to beat them. That led to Brunson delivering 14 assists, Hart scoring 26 points, Towns punishing them inside and out, and the Knicks winning Game 2 by 16.<\/p>\n

In Game 3, the Cavs dialed back the aggressive sagging off Hart and didn\u2019t show quite as much pressure on Brunson, so the Knicks promptly went back to using Towns as their offensive hub from the high post and playing through their wings. Towns finished with seven assists. Bridges and OG Anunoby<\/a> combined for 43 points on 25 shots. Game 1 hero Landry Shamet<\/a> continued to be a thorn in Cleveland\u2019s side, coming off the bench to drill four of five 3-pointers, scoring 14 points with three assists in 27 minutes, while also playing committed, physical defense on the clearly laboring Mitchell.<\/p>\n

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Oh, and Brunson still scored 30, nine of which came in the fourth quarter, as the Knicks pushed their lead as high as 17 before claiming the win \u2014 one in which they scored more than 120 points per 100 possessions<\/a> for the eighth time in the last 10 games<\/a>, a testament to an offense that\u2019s become lethally adaptable.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey’re paying a lot of attention to Jalen. Somebody’s gonna be open if the floor is spaced and we’re getting off the ball in a timely manner,\u201d Brown said. \u201cAnd literally, because of the way they’re playing D, we’re just playing conceptually. We’re really trying to play fast, trying to space the floor the right way, trying to touch the paint, trying to make quick decisions with the basketball.\u201d<\/p>\n

If that style of offense sounds familiar to you, it might be because you remember watching the team that beat the Knicks in this round last season.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the strength of their team is they play a certain way that elevates everybody \u2014 I think we’ve seen that,\u201d Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a> coach Mark Daigneault said of the Indiana Pacers<\/a> during the NBA Finals last June<\/a>. \u201cYou really can’t key on an individual player, an individual thing. You really have to defend them conceptually, because that’s how they’re existing on offense.\u201d<\/p>\n

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What a difference a year makes. The Knicks were the team getting eliminated by an opponent that you had to defend conceptually; now, they\u2019re the one tying the opposing defense in knots by playing offense that way. (Keep this up, and maybe Daigneault finds himself answering a similar question about New York in a couple of weeks.)<\/p>\n

The Knicks are now the 10th team in NBA history to run off a winning streak of 10 or more games in a single postseason, according to Stathead<\/a>. One of them, the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors<\/a>, featured Brown as an assistant coach.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, obviously, this is the time that you want to peak, you know, is come playoff time. But it just happens,\u201d Brown said. \u201cI remember when I was at Golden State, I think we won 10 or 11 in a row, and it wasn’t anything that we planned, you know? It just happened. Your players, they’re connected, they’re sacrificing. You know, they’re doing the things I always talk about. They’re holding each other accountable. They’re believing in the process with each other, and they’re playing with a competitive spirit that’s unmatched. And you know, if you do those things while focusing on the details and communicating and bringing energy and effort, you have a chance to string some games together.\u201d<\/p>\n

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You have a chance to do a hell of a lot more than that, too: Five of the first nine teams to roll off 10 straight in the postseason won the NBA championship.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you’re in the playoffs, it’s about trying to peak at the right time,\u201d Brown said. \u201cIt’s about, knock on wood, trying to stay healthy and having a little bit of luck.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also about finding the right combination of players, not just on the court, but off it \u2014 a group that can coalesce into something greater than the sum of its parts. Bit by bit, day by day, these Knicks have grown into that kind of collective \u2014 a team united in purpose and belief in one another, and capable of absolutely leveling your city and taking your soul when it comes down to it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a bunch of individuals in that locker room who work really hard, and they’re very psychotic about their work and the things they do, and making sure that they’re ready, physically and mentally,\u201d Brunson said. \u201cSo when their number\u2019s called and then when there’s time to go out there, they’re ready. A lot of real professionals on our roster. So no matter whose number is called, someone’s gonna step up. Someone’s gonna be ready. That’s just the nature of who we have here, and it’s been a pleasure working with these guys. I mean, it’s been unbelievable.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cEverybody wants to see each other do well \u2014 genuinely,\u201d Shamet said. \u201cI mean that. If you guys write that in your report, it’s not some locker-room banter or b.s. It\u2019s, like, spiritual with this group. You know, we\u2019ve got a lot of guys who are more than capable of being in certain situations, and we cheer each other on. Next man up. It’s a beautiful thing, and it’s what we have, in this locker room. So it’s special.\u201d<\/p>\n

Special teams can do special things, and this one now sits a win away from doing something no Knicks team has done since 1999: returning to the NBA Finals. You will, no doubt, be shocked to learn that they\u2019re not looking ahead to Game 1 of that series. They\u2019ve gotten this far by tightening the aperture to focus solely on the 6 inches in front of their faces; they\u2019re not going to start widening it now.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don’t look ahead, most importantly,\u201d Brunson said. \u201cYou just deal with what’s in front of you. So we have the first possession, and the first quarter, and then you have the first half, and then you go on, you go on. You just continue to just deal with what’s in front of you, and just have your teammate\u2019s back. Make sure everyone’s on the same page, make sure that everyone’s holding each other accountable. That’s just the most important thing right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The most important thing for the Cavs right now? Live to see a day past Monday\u2019s Game 4.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet one, and then we\u2019ll go from there,\u201d Atkinson said.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s it going to take to get that one?<\/p>\n

“Let’s start with making some shots, getting some stops, and making some free throws,” Mitchell said.<\/p>\n

While the Cavs try that novel strategy, Brown will continue to hammer home the same talking points he\u2019s been delivering \u2014 one that has the Knicks on the verge of their second straight playoff sweep, and on the verge of their first Finals run this century. Because, from the sound of it, his guys have received the message, loud and clear.<\/p>\n

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\u201cKeep your mind on the task at hand,\u201d Towns said. \u201cThe game is over. We found a way to win tonight, but we have to have the same desperation, like this is 0-0 and it\u2019s Game 1.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CLEVELAND \u2014 The New York Knicks came into Game 3 of the 2026 Eastern Conference finals with clear…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":691241,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[557],"tags":[4131,64,63,307962,233324,23659,5552,7221,20455,1173,87780,20449,158529,12845,16113,12834,177382,590,9275,5548,85,14068],"class_list":["post-691240","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-atlanta","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-cavs","tag-dean-wade","tag-donovan-mitchell","tag-golden-state-warriors","tag-indiana-pacers","tag-jalen-brunson","tag-james-harden","tag-josh-hart","tag-karl-anthony-towns","tag-kenny-atkinson","tag-knicks","tag-landry-shamet","tag-mikal-bridges","tag-miles-mcbride","tag-nba","tag-og-anunoby","tag-oklahoma-city-thunder","tag-sports","tag-travis-kelce"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/691240","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=691240"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/691240\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/691241"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=691240"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=691240"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=691240"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}