NCAA Tournament, Knicks, Nets, Rose

Knicks Finish Off The Cavs To Reach Semifinals

Coming off of a game four victory in New York, the Knicks came into Cleveland with a chance to wrap up the series in game five. New York would jump out to an early lead, and would never look back. Although Julius Randle went down with the same ankle injury from a few weeks ago in the second quarter, the Knicks held on to win 106-95 to reach the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Mitchell Robinson Dominates

One of the biggest factors for Cleveland all season long has been the frontcourt duo of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. Their entire defense revolves around the interior defense that the pair provides. However, all series long Mitchell Robinson has outperformed the duo, and in the series clinching game, Robinson had his best game yet.

Robinson had 13 points, 18 rebounds, three blocks and two steals. A whopping 11 of his 18 rebounds were on the offensive end, and 11 of his 13 points were second chance points. Mobley and Allen only combined for 10 points, 13 rebounds, one block and no steals. The duo also had only three offensive rebounds, and zero second chance points.

This dynamic has really been the story of the series. The Knicks completely outworked the Cavs all series long, especially on the offensive glass. As a team, New York outrebounded Cleveland 48-30, with 17 being offensive for New York, but only four for Cleveland.

Robinson continued his domination through his interior defense. His impact went far further than the three blocks, as the Cavs were unable to get to the rim with any type of consistency. Cleveland only scored 34 points in the paint, compared to 44 for New York. Both Mobley and Allen only shot 2-6 from the field, and this possession from Mobley was a microcosm of the Cavs offensive struggles in the paint throughout the game.

This type of physicality was present for the Knicks all night. The Cavs simply were unable to match that intensity, and Robinson more than took advantage of this discrepancy. If he can continue this level of physicality into the next round, it will continue to be incredibly difficult for the opposition to score consistently against the Knicks.

Knicks' Depth Steps Up Again

RJ Barrett has put any doubts stemming from his games one and two performances to bed. He continued his hot stretch with 21 points on 7-13 from the field, 2-4 from three and 5-6 from the free throw line. Barrett has stayed aggressive in attacking the basket and it has paid off for him. He also scored nine of his points in the fastbreak, as he took advantage of the Cleveland big men being slow in transition defense.

Although it was not the most efficient game, Immanuel Quickley played much better than he had in games one through four. Quickley had 19 points on 5-15 from the field, 3-10 from three, and 6-6 from the free throw line. He also played the entire fourth quarter, and played a crucial role in breaking the press by giving Jalen Brunson a second option as a ball handler.

Obi Toppin stepped up in a big way for the Knicks after Randle went down with his ankle injury. Toppin did not score in the first half, but in the second half he had 12 points on 5-7 from the field and 2-3 from three. He has proven over the past couple of weeks to fill in well in place of Randle, as he spaces the floor with his three point shot and is an effective cutter.

Josh Hart continued to prove his importance to the Knicks this game. In a game leading 46 minutes played, Hart had seven points and 12 rebounds while spending the majority of his minutes guarding Donovan Mitchell. Although Mitchell scored 28, he was not efficient as he was 11-26 from the field and 3-12 from three. The job Hart did on Mitchell throughout the series was an enormous factor in New York moving on as it was clear that Mitchell was uncomfortable offensively for much of the series.

Hart will now have another difficult task at hand, as in a stunning upset the eight seed Heat beat the one seed Bucks in five games. On paper it may seem that New York lucked out with the upset, but if Jimmy Butler continues the way he played against the Bucks, the Heat will not play like a usual eight seed. Hart will have his hands full all series long with Butler, as it should be an incredible matchup between the two.

For New York, they once again will be going into a series with Julius Randle being a question mark. Randle did come out of the locker room to watch the second half, and he was walking around at times during timeouts. The Knicks have until Sunday to find out if he will be ready, as game one will start then in New York.