The New York Knicks are 2-0 against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals, and their offense is playing at a level nobody really expected coming into this postseason. Even after his own season ended, one of the sharpest basketball minds out there is paying close attention.
On the Mind the Game YouTube channel, LeBron James sat down with co-host Steve Nash to break down the Conference Finals. The episode posted on May 21, 2026, covered a lot of ground, but what LeBron said about the Knicks specifically was worth sitting with.
How Karl-Anthony Towns as Hub Is Giving the Cavaliers Fits
GettyLeBron James Pinpoints the Knicks Move the Cavaliers Can’t Stop
The Knicks went down 2-1 to Atlanta in the first round before flipping a switch. The change was moving Karl-Anthony Towns into a hub role at the top of the key, and New York has won nine straight since. Towns is averaging 17.4 points, 10.0 rebounds and 6.6 assists this postseason, numbers that would have seemed unrealistic a year ago. LeBron explained why that one adjustment makes the whole offense harder to guard.
“You now shift your pie chart from people just thinking heavy JB pick and roll, JB iso, to now the demographic of your offence shifts. You know, which means the defence can’t be just keyed in on just one action now.”
He then broke down exactly what opens up once KAT catches at the elbow, and how even a correct defensive read still leads to a good Knicks shot.
“It allows JB to be off the ball where he can set a rip screen for OG to the rim. And if they mess that up, OG gets a dunk. You know, if they don’t, if they mess that up and both of them go with OG to the rim, now you got JB coming off clean, you know, either for a clean shot or a DHO, now the defence is playing catch up.”
That is the problem Cleveland is staring at. Brunson is averaging 28.4 points and 6.1 assists this postseason, and Anunoby is at 21.4 points and 7.5 rebounds in eight games. When KAT is commanding attention at the hub, those two are getting the shots they want.
Why the Knicks Bench Has Cleveland Just as Worried
GettyLeBron James Sends Strong Message About Knicks Adjustment Breaking Cavaliers
The starters are only part of the story. LeBron made sure to bring up the guys coming off the bench, and he was specific about it.
“I gotta give a lot of credit to that, to the bench as well. Like you said, like, you know, Deuce McBride and Mitchell Robinson. And even early in the season, people were wondering, you know, why Jordan Clarkson wasn’t playing. And I think Mike Brown, like, was like, hey, I gotta have guys that’s gonna compete on both ends of the floor.”
From there, he landed on Josh Hart, and what makes him the kind of player this Knicks team is built around.
“We already know that what he’s gonna do on the floor doesn’t always show up in the box scores. The diving for the loose balls, the getting the extra possessions, you know, he’s a one-man fast break as well, you know, but he just does all the dirty work.”
Hart is averaging 9.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists through eight games, but the numbers only tell part of it. In Game 2 against Cleveland, he posted a playoff career-high 26 points, the kind of performance that makes opposing coaches rethink their whole game plan. LeBron summed it up in a way that felt less like analysis and more like a history lesson.
“When you talk about the Knicks, they’ve always had one of those guys. When they’ve won, they’ve had one of those guys, you know, and that’s just synonymous with the Knickerbocker.”
New York heads to Cleveland for Game 3 with a 2-0 series lead, and between the offensive variety upfront and the bench refusing to let momentum slip, the Cavaliers have not found a clean answer yet.
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