The New York Knicks needed someone to step up in Game 2 against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Cleveland limited Jalen Brunson to 19 points, but Josh Hart stepped up with 26 points to help New York secure a 109-93 win on May 21 at Madison Square Garden.
Hart went 10-for-21 from the field and 5-for-11 from 3-point land for his 26 points. Moreover, the 31-year-old chipped in with seven assists to impact the game from a scoring and facilitator aspect.
After the Knicks took a 2-0 series lead over Cleveland, New York head coach Mike Brown spoke to the media and shared his thoughts on the scoring boost the team received from Hart.
“It’s just who Josh is,” Brown told reporters after the Game 2 win. “He’s a gamer. He knew what he had to do in terms of the adjustments he needed to make to be effective, not just for him but for the team. He was great. He was really decisive. He also helped us get out in transition. We have to play fast so we’re not going against a set defense all the time.
“When you get out in transition, if you’re a team that cross-matches and you get out in transition, it’s going to be hard to find the right bodies. That’s how we’re going to have to play. We’re going to have to play fast against their cross-matches to see if we can get something early in transition. Josh knew what he had to do with the adjustments in this game.”
Josh Hart on Knicks’ Mindset Heading Into Game 3
Despite New York having all the momentum now that the series switches to Cleveland, Josh Hart, who scored 26 points to help Brunson in the scoring department, shared the mindset the team needs on the road.
“We can’t be happy with being up 2-0,” Hart told ESPN’s Lisa Salters after the Game 2 win over the Cavaliers. “This team was just down 2-0 last series and came back. So we got to go out there. We know they’re going to have a sense of urgency, a sense of desperation. And we can’t just match it; we have to exceed it. So we got to learn from film tomorrow and get ready for a tough one.”
The Knicks have the Cavaliers on the ropes, and a win in Game 3 would have them with one foot in the finals. As a result, the team will need to come out with that killer instinct on May 23 in Cleveland.
Kenny Atkinson Talks Jalen Brunson’s Game 2 Performance
Although Brunson had only 19 points in Game 2 after his 38-point performance in Game 1, the Knicks star still recorded 14 assists.
After the Cavs’ loss, head coach Kenny Atkinson spoke to the media and shared his thoughts on Brunson’s performance, as the Knicks star has hurt them in two ways so far in this series.
“That’s what great players do,” Atkinson told reporters postgame. “They read the game, and the game dictated that. Obviously, we were loaded up more on him, and he found other guys. We just have to find that balance. But 14 assists, credit to him. We took away some scoring options, blitzed him, gave him different looks. He made the right reads and was in the right places.”
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