The Knicks are one win away from doing something that’s only happened once since 2000: win a playoff series.
There are many reasons they got to this point. You can go all the way back to Tom Thibodeau’s decision to cut his rotation to 9 players in early December.
Or you can go back further: Sunday’s win, in a way, was a validation of the decisions made by the Knicks front office over the past 10 months.
Jalen Brunson, their big free agent signee, had a game-high 29 points, six rebounds and six assists. His shot-making in the second half kept the Knicks out of trouble. He delivered in a way that Cavs star Donovan Mitchell couldn’t.
The Knicks defense held Mitchell to 11 points on 5-for-18 shooting. He had six turnovers. Credit the team for slowing Mitchell down; also credit his primary defender. Josh Hart slowed Mitchell down enough to keep the Cavs from making a run in the fourth quarter.
Hart, acquired by the Knicks in a trade deadline deal for Cam Reddish and a 2023 first-round pick, has been the glue to this team for the past two months. New York is 20-7 with Hart in the lineup (disregarding two losses at the end of the season when the Knicks had nothing to play for).
Sunday was no different. He defended Mitchell and chipped in 19 points and seven rebounds.
RJ Barrett had another strong game, scoring 26 points on 9-of-18 shooting. Barrett got to the line 13 times and scored 10 points in a fourth quarter that Cleveland entered trailing by just two.
Barrett, of course, signed an extension with the Knicks in the offseason. That extension was a roadblock in the Knicks’ pursuit of Mitchell. The Knicks offered Utah strong packages that both included and did not include Barrett. In the end, Barrett remained a Knick and Mitchell ended up in Cleveland.
If the Knicks can win one of their next three games, their decisions around the Mitchell deal will be validated.
Utah sought at one point Mitchell Robinson in trade talks. Instead of sending Robinson to Utah, the Knicks re-signed the center to a four-year, $60 million deal.
The longest-tenured Knick was fantastic on Sunday. He had 12 points, seven of New York’s 17 offensive rebounds and two blocks. That stat line does not convey several shots changed by Robinson or drives deterred by him.
And when Robinson wasn’t on the floor, Isaiah Hartenstein was making key plays for the Knicks at the center position.
Hartenstein, the Knicks’ other big free-agent signee, had four rebounds, two blocks, a steal and an assist over a pivotal 12-minute stretch late in the game. When Hartenstein walked on the floor with 3:32 to go in the third, the Knicks trailed by three. When he subbed out with 3:11 left in the game, they led by seven.
Mitchell came back in the game and helped New York get to the finish line in Game 4.
The Knicks now travel to Cleveland for Game 5 on Wednesday.
You’d assume that Donovan Mitchell is due for a big game in this series. He’ll certainly feel comfortable at home on Wednesday.
But even if the Knicks lose Game 5, history is on their side. Teams who take a 3-1 series lead win that series 95 percent of the time (258-13).
So the Knicks all but locked up a trip to the second round on Sunday afternoon.
Maybe somewhere in Manhattan on Sunday night, Leon Rose, William Wesley, Brock Aller, Scott Perry & Co. took a minute to reflect on the last 10 months. Based on where the Knicks stand right now, even the Knicks fiercest critics would admit that the front office has had a remarkable run.