CLEVELAND — Josh Hart came to the rescue.
With his team collapsing in the fourth quarter — falling to the might of Donovan Mitchell — Hart, a player certainly not known for his offense, found himself with the ball and the shot clock dwindling.
Hart had no choice. He needed to make a play for himself. So he took a step back with his dribble and buried a 3-pointer, highlighting a heroic performance from the Game 1 thriller for the Knicks in their 101-97 win over the Cavs.
Hart’s bucket changed the momentum with 1:46 remaining, with the Cavs taking the lead on the previous possession for the first time since the opening quarter. But the Knicks still needed to close out the victory. They accomplished that through their bread-and-butter — offensive rebounding — with Julius Randle and Isaiah Hartenstein picking up huge extra possessions in the final minute.
Despite Mitchell’s 38 points, Round 1 went to the Knicks.
It was the first NBA playoff game in Cleveland since 2018. Much more startling, the night represented Cleveland’s first playoff game without LeBron James on the roster since 1998.
The atmosphere matched the moment, and the Knicks popped the balloon. Hart was a catalyst off the bench with 17 points and 10 rebounds — including half on offense — while chasing around Mitchell and Darius Garland on the other end.
Jalen Brunson dropped 27 points, including nine in the fourth quarter.
Randle, as expected, returned from his sprained ankle and was thrust in the starting lineup. He seemed to operate under a time restriction while logging 34 minutes, but his confidence remained intact as he scored 19 points on 20 shots.
The Knicks tried to keep Randle’s status under wraps in the week leading up to the game, claiming he wasn’t cleared for contact while giving non-updates about his recovery.
Ultimately, seventeen days since the ankle turn was enough for Randle to suit up for the playoffs. He wasn’t 100% , according to a source, and conditioning was a concern after such a long layoff. But the shot was there. He nailed his first shot attempt — a pull-up 3-pointer about 2 1/2 minutes into the game — and followed up with a breakaway layup on the next possession. He dropped a team-high 16 points in the first half before cooling off.
Thibodeau said he was confident Randle could fall back on his built-in fitness. But the substitution pattern was different from the start: after playing the entire first quarter during the regular season, Randle was removed for Obi Toppin just five minutes after tipoff.
“I think it’s a lot different at this time of the season, just because he was in great shape and played in the majority of the season. He’s been out, so you’re still gonna feel that, but you have a base to your conditioning,” the coach said. I’d be more concerned if it was early in the season where you didn’t have that base. He’s missed time but he’s, he’s already got a good base. Just get out there and get it done.”
The spotlight centered on Mitchell as not only the biggest star of the series but also the happenings of the summer when New York tried — and failed — to acquire the All-Star in a trade.
Beyond that storyline — and beyond Mitchell facing his hometown squad from NY — the series represents an opportunity to change the narrative of his playoff failures. It sets up perfectly against Brunson, the point guard who outplayed Mitchell in last year’s series between the Mavericks and Jazz.
So Mitchell had plenty of motivation Sunday and he responded with a strong performance, including a dive into the third row to recover a loose ball amid the beer and spectators.
But Hart and Brunson left the victors in Game 1.
“I’ve felt that way the whole year. That’s just been kind of my M.O. throughout my career — trying to prove my caliber of play,” Mitchell said. “I know who I am and these guys know who I am and what I’m capable of and I just go out there and be leader. Not going to come in here and try and go and take over a game. Just play the game and do what I’ve been doing. Not make it too much of, ‘Oh, this is my thing.’ This is a team game and we’re not going to win if I just tried to shoot every single time. Got to do this as a group collectively. That’s what got us to this point. Just continue to do that.”
