Ladies and gentlemen of the Blue and Orange, the New York Knicks are just one win away from the Eastern Conference Finals. Their 121-113 victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 4 gives them a commanding 3-1 series lead.
ECSF: Game 4: Final
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As has been the trend, the Knicks started slow, whereas the Celtics ripped the net. Jayson Tatum, who led all scorers with 42 points, got off to a torrid start at Madison Square Garden.
Tatum shot 16 of 28 from the field, but he poured in 7 threes on 16 attempts, many of which helped Boston to a 39-28 lead after the first quarter. Unfortunately for the Celtics, Tatum left late in the fourth quarter with a non-contact injury that does not look good, but New York was already in control of the game at that point.
After giving up open looks in the first, Tom Thibodeau‘s team settled down a bit in the second quarter, keeping pace with the Celtics (23 points apiece). Whatever Thibodeau said at halftime worked, however, as New York came out as a different squad in the second half.
After hesitating offensively in the first half—refusing to shoot along the perimeter and overthinking—the Knickerbockers played much more fluid in the second half. The man who got it rolling was Mikal Bridges.
Time and again, Bridges hunted the midrange and took his shot. His transparent aggression seemed to give the rest of the squad confidence.
Bridges finished with 21 points on 11 of 21 shooting (1 of 6 from downtown), 7 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 assists.
Naturally, Bridges had help from the captain. Jalen Brunson poured in a team-high 39 points, most of which came in the second half.
Brunson’s methodical nature with the ball opened up the floor for his team. More importantly, he took what the on-ball defender gave him after setting himself up in the spot he wanted on the floor.
Brunson scored 18 in the third quarter.
OG Anunoby, who left the game in the first half with what appeared to be a hamstring injury, returned shortly thereafter and showed no hobbled signs. It was a good thing, too, since New York needed every bit of Anunoby’s defensive talent to keep Tatum in check.
Anunoby, who finished with 20 points, also hit key shots down the stretch, including a three with just under six minutes remaining that put his team up 105-102.
Although he was frustrated and in early foul trouble, Karl-Anthony Towns did just enough to put the Knicks over the top. His 23 points came on an efficient 10 of 15 shooting, and he also led the team with 11 rebounds.
Where the Knicks truly won this game came on the defensive side of the floor.
Coming out of halftime, the Knicks’ defensive game plan finally made sense. As opposed to playing the Celtics straight up, the transparent intent to extend the structure of the defense forced Boston to penetrate and not look for the space-making or ball-movement three-pointer.
While Tatum and Jaylen Brown hit some tough shots, they were indeed the attempts Thibodeau wanted.
Incredibly, the Knicks found themselves down by double-digit points. Even more incredibly, they somehow found a way to battle back and win the game. In this one, Boston led by double-digits a mere five minutes into the action.
Thanks to a smart and diligent second half, the New York Knicks are just one win away from their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 25 years. Game 5 is set to tip off from the TD Garden in Boston at 7:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday night.
