The Knicks crush the Cavs again and are close to the NBA Finals

The New York Knicks continue to advance steadily towards the NBA Finals. The New York team once again demonstrated their superiority against the Cleveland Cavaliers and took the third game of the Eastern Conference Finals by 121-108, placing themselves with a 3-0 lead in the series.

The team led by Mike Brown seems to have found the perfect formula in these playoffs: withstand during the first half, adjust after halftime, and finish strongly. The Knicks are going through their best moment of the season, having now won ten consecutive postseason games.

Furthermore, nine of their eleven victories in these playoffs have come by double digits, while their two losses were by a combined total of just two points. This dominance reflects the immense confidence and roster depth that New York has found.

In this third game, it was Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby who set the pace for a large part of the match. Bridges finished with 22 points, while Anunoby added 21 points and seven rebounds, constantly punishing Cleveland through his physicality and defensive versatility.

The Cavaliers once again struggled, especially from the three-point line, shooting only 29% from beyond the arc, converting just 12 of their 41 attempts. The defensive intensity of the Knicks proved decisive in halting any local comeback attempts.

However, as has been the case throughout the series, the clear protagonist in the closing of the game was Jalen Brunson. The point guard once again emerged in the decisive moments, scoring 21 of his 31 points in the second half to definitively seal the win.

While Brunson dominated the final stretch, Cleveland ran out of offensive answers. Donovan Mitchell only made four of his 14 shots after halftime, and James Harden attempted just four shots throughout the second half.

Physical exhaustion also seems to be favoring New York. The Cavaliers have played 13 games since April 29, while the Knicks have only played eight in the same period. This difference is clearly reflected in the freshness and energy of both teams.

One of the significant changes driven by Mike Brown this season has been precisely the management of minutes. After learning from coaches like Steve Kerr and Gregg Popovich, Brown opted to involve the bench more during the regular season to arrive at the playoffs with fresh legs.

Knicks' Bench

This depth was once again evident in the third game thanks to Landry Shamet, who scored four crucial three-pointers coming off the bench, including three in the second half.

The reduction of playing time for key players like Josh Hart has also been important. After leading the NBA in minutes last season, Hart has significantly reduced his time on the court this season, a strategy he considers vital to maintain energy in this lengthy playoff run.

Now, the Knicks will have the opportunity to complete the sweep this Monday in Cleveland and return to an NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Los Knicks vuelven a destrozar a los Cavs y rozan las Finales de la NBA