After the monster game Jalen Brunson had in the Knicks’ improbable comeback win in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Cavaliers knew they had to change their game plan.
Instead of letting Brunson do his thing and shutting down the other scorers, Cleveland focused their energy and defense on stopping the Knicks captain. That, however, also didn’t work as Brunson dished a playoff career-high 14 assists in the Knicks’ 109-93 Game 2 victory on Thursday night.
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“That’s what great players do. They read the game and the game dictated that,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson told reporters after the game. “Obviously, we were loaded up more toward him and he found other guys. We gotta find that balance. But 14 assists, credit to him. [We] took away some of the scoring options, blitzed him, gave him different looks. He made the right reads, right plays.”
“As an MVP candidate, Jalen Brunson’s job is to make the game easier for his teammates,” Mike Brown said. “That’s what he did.”
Brunson scored two points on just 1 of 3 shooting in the first quarter, deferring to Karl-Anthony Towns (seven points) in the opening frame. The second quarter was more of the same, dishing three assists as Josh Hart and OG Anunoby scored a combined 15 points while Brunson went scoreless in the quarter on 0-for-3 shooting.
While Brunson’s scoring increased in the second half (17 points on 6 of 10 shooting), he made nine assists in the third and fourth quarters to
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“They were presenting two to the ball and I was able to find my teammates and they were knocking shots down,” Brunson said after the game. “Just trying to create an advantage by putting two on the ball and trusting them and having them make the play.”
And Brunson’s teammates rewarded that trust. Hart went for a team-high, and playoff career-high, 26 points, while Towns (18), Anunoby (14) and Mikal Bridges (19) all scored in double-figures to help give the Knicks a 2-0 series lead.
“He had a huge offensive game the last game, so we knew they would come in with a different game plan,” Hart said of Brunson’s game. “That shows the confidence he has in us and the depth of team we have…we can win a game with him scoring 10, 12 points but having 14 assists, getting guys involved. Shows the character of the team, character of him. Shows we can win games in different ways.”
“Just shows that he plays the right way. If you’re not going to send the double team, it’s an advantage for him. If you send the doubleteam, he will read and react and find the open guy,” Bridges said. “He plays the right way. Ever since I known him, he plays the right way… If you’re going to keep helping off, he’s going to make you pay and that’s what makes him great.”
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Game 2 gave another example of how this Knicks team has been able to adapt to any team and any scenario. Feels like forever ago that the Knicks were down 2-1 in their first-round series with the Hawks before the team started running the offense through Towns. That continued during the four-game sweep of the 76ers, and after that strategy didn’t work on Cleveland in Game 1, Brunson took over to steal the victory.
And now, Brunson was the facilitator.
“It’s an advantage for us. Learning how to play differently,” Brunson said of the Knicks’ ability to be versatile. “There will be times where one game plan will be different from the next. Being able to adjust and adjust on the fly is something we need to continue to get better at. We just have to continue to be open to figure out how we can win the next game.”
What will the Knicks do in Game 3? Whatever it is, the Cavaliers will have their hands full trying to prepare for multiple looks from Brunson and the Knicks.
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