Knicks-Cavs Game 4 preview: Can desperation help secure an NBA Finals berth?
Knicks' Mikal Bridges shoots the ball against the Cavaliers' Donovan Mitchell during the third quarter in Game 3 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Rocket Arena on Saturday in Cleveland, Ohio. Credit: Getty Images/Jason Miller
The Knicks find themselves on the verge of reaching the NBA Finals for the first time in 27 years, although anyone who has endured the long drought likely isn't about to jump ahead even with a 3-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Knicks will get the opportunity to close out the series on Monday night. Here's a look ahead to Game 4.
1. Desperate times
The Cavaliers spoke about taking it one game at a time, the usual desperation talk of a team fighting out of a hole. But if you watched Game 3 in Cleveland, it certainly seemed as if the Knicks were the team not only talking desperation but playing that way. Can they keep that up and summon the desire to play with the end in sight in a game in which teams with a 3-0 lead are 163-0?
With the Spurs tying the Western Conference Finals at 2-2 on Sunday, that series will end on May 28 or May 30. The NBA Finals will begin June 3.
2. MVP?
Jalen Brunson insisted that it has not crossed his mind that he could be named the Most Valuable Player of the conference finals, an award that would be well-deserved. You can look back to Game 1 of the series, in which Brunson fueled a comeback from a 22-point fourth-quarter deficit, to the game-by-game performance in which he has taken a secondary role at times but has emerged every time the Knicks need a boost. He had a 38-point effort in Game 1, then 14 assists in Game 2, probably the best show of his willingness to do what is needed. Perhaps the Knicks' continued desire to play as if they are on the ropes — see above — can be attributed to the captain.
3. Bridge to the finals
If there is an argument to be made about MVP honors, Mikal Bridges certainly has a case. After a sluggish start to the postseason, he has emerged as "Playoff Bridges" for a second straight season. He erased some of the criticism last year with game-saving steals in back-to-back wins in Boston and has done it again. Bridges has provided blanketing defense against James Harden and also is putting up historic offensive numbers, shooting 71.1% from the floor (27-for-38) in the series.
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
