Knicks have demoralized teams early in closeout games on run to NBA Finals
The Knicks' Jalen Brunson celebrates after a basket during the first half against the Atlanta Hawks in Game 6 of an Eastern Conference first-round matchup in Atlanta, Ga. Credit: Getty Images
SAN ANTONIO — As the Knicks have marched through the playoffs to reach the NBA Finals, the most commonly uttered words from Mike Brown and his team have come on the eve of each closeout opportunity, an insistence that the closeout game is the hardest game of the season.
It makes sense, the opposition facing the reality of their season coming to an end, desperately fighting to stay alive. And then reality has kicked in through each series as the Knicks have steamrolled each opponent, leaving no doubt from the start that there would be no comebacks or even a glimmer of hope raised.
A sign of the maturity, experience and desires of this Knicks squad, the closeout game has looked more like a Harlem Globetrotters versus the Washington Generals exhibition than a last gasp to stay alive.
Closing out is hard and doing it on the road even adds to the degree of difficulty. But that trend and the words just seem quant by now.
“Yeah, I mean, we don't want to leave any doubt out there,” Landry Shamet said. “We just want to come out, handle our business. It's great to win by that margin, but you know, even a one-point victory would have been great.”
It began in Atlanta when the Knicks, who had just days earlier been trailing two games to one in the series and facing questions about job security, began the run through the playoffs, first, capturing the next two games to put the elimination game in front of them. And it was a historic performance, closing the first quarter on a 31-4 run when the Knicks built a 40-15 lead. It only grew from there, the lead expanding to as many as 61 with the starters not seeing the court in the fourth quarter.
But it was the first quarter when the Knicks erased all doubt, not only shooting 18-for-26 from the floor, but on the other end of the court defending as if it was a father playing against a small child in the driveway — picking off seven steals and blocking three shots while only giving up six field goals.
In Philadelphia, maybe there never was hope for the Sixers, the Knicks having taken a three games to none lead in the series. But any hint that there would be a chance to breathe disappeared under an avalanche of three-point field goals — the Knicks connecting on 11 of their first 12 shots behind the arc and building a 19-point lead after one quarter, growing it to as much as 44 before again sitting their starters in the final quarter and winning by 30.
Finally, in Cleveland, again attempting to complete a sweep on the road, the Knicks had already set a trend and New York fans filled Rocket Arena for a celebration and got it. The Knicks were 15-for-27 shooting with 12 assists in the first quarter, building a 12-point lead and eventually led by as many as 45 before settling for a 37-point win and a trophy presentation on the Cavs' home court (even if it sounded very much like Madison Square Garden).
“I mean obviously, we’ve been playing hard,” Jalen Brunson said. “Mix in a little luck as well. I think most importantly, we’ve been coming in focused. Just focus on one possession at a time, and just playing hard for that possession and worry about the future later. We’ve been locked in on the moment and we need to continue to do that.”
The interesting turn about this was that much of the season was spent bemoaning slow starts to games by the starting five. But now the Knicks have shot a combined 48-for-75 overall (64%) in the first quarter of closeout games, including 21-of-33 (63.6%) from beyond the arc, scoring 40.3 points per game in the first quarter of those games.
“You know, when you're at this point, no matter who you're playing, they're a good team,” coach Mike Brown said. “They're here for many reasons. And, you know, you don't want to give them life if you can help it, because if you give anybody hope this time of the year they can string that into a long run. So just continuing to have an appropriate fear, which is basically a respect for the process of your opponent, while trying to be physical at the highest level for as long as you can. It’s going to be huge. Don't take anything from granted. Keep focusing on the details and it's basically the same messaging that we've said in the past, when we're in this position.”
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.
