Knicks defense suffocates Cavs stars in 99-79 win to take 2-1 lead in first-round series
Knicks defense chokes Cavs stars in 99-79 Game 3 victory to take 2-1 lead and inches closer to their first postseason series win in a DECADE
- The win gives the Knicks a 2-1 lead over the Cavs in their first round game
- The two teams will face off again in Game 4 in New York on Sunday
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The New York Knicks took a 2-1 lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers in their first-round playoff series with an emphatic 99-79 win on Friday night at Madison Square Garden.
From the opening tip, the crowd of over 19,000 screaming fans made their presence felt, erupting in deafening boos and cheers at the result of each possession, along with seemingly never-ending “defense” chants throughout the first quarter. was an audible gasp as each shot went up as blue, orange and yellow lights flickered through the crowd.
In fact, star power forward Julius Randle was showered with “MVP” chants on his first trip to the foul line en route to an 11-point performance. Later on during the night, Jalen Brunson also received MVP chants as he took free throws in the fourth quarter. Brunson led the team with 21 points on 10 of 18 shots from the field.
Energy levels remain high during a timeout near the end of the first when Knicks legend Latrell Sprewell was shown on the video board after a brief edit. Later in the evening, Bernard King was also featured and received a similar ovation from the MSG faithful
Noise levels remained at what appeared to be an all-time high throughout the second quarter and halftime, as New York managed to gain a 13-point lead going into the break.
Jalen Brunson stretches for Knicks fans in Game 3 of their first-round series with the Cavaliers
Star power forward Julius Randle was even showered with “MVP” chants during the win
In a one-sided third quarter, New York extended the lead to a 17-point lead that received a standing ovation as the clock ran out. During a free throw taken by Josh Hart, the crowd could be heard erupting in a serenade of ‘Cleveland sucks’ chants.
Cavs point guard Darius Garland appeared to suffer an injury after he tripped over a cameraman after a missed layup and then quickly went out of the game.
During a timeout midway through the fourth quarter, good vibes reigned in the world’s most famous arena during a single of “it’s up to you New York” as the arena poured their hearts out to the famous tune, including the aforementioned Sprewell who started his from his court seat back on the video board.
A successful fourth quarter alley-oop by Obi Toppin that also resulted in a foul call left the arena to a standing ovation followed by an inaudibly loud chant. Checking out with just under six minutes left in the fourth quarter, Toppin received another ovation and was met with chants of “Obi Obi Obi” as he sat down after his 11 minutes of play.
Despite the acoustically beautiful game, the loudest ovation of the night came with 2:30 minutes left in the fourth quarter when beloved veteran point guard Derrick Rose checked into the game after fans had been calling for him to play for several minutes. Rose dropped out of the Knicks rotation early in the season and has rarely been seen since.
RJ Barret also received high praise from the crowd after recovering from a terrible Game 2 in Cleveland to finish second on the team with 19 points on 8-12 shooting.
The two sides will meet again on Sunday at 1 p.m. at MSG in what will be an equally loud afternoon match.