The New York Knicks are on the brink of their first NBA Finals since 1999 after a 121-108 victory at Cleveland stretched their playoff win streak to 10 games.
Jalen Brunson scored a game-high 30 points, O.G. Anunoby added 21 and Mikal Bridges contributed 22 on 11-of-15 shooting as New York pushed the Cavaliers to the edge of elimination.
“I’m at a loss for words,” Brunson said.
“I thought we fought, most importantly.”
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The Knicks seized a commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals and could complete a sweep in game four on Monday in Cleveland.
No team in NBA history has recovered from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series.
“The series isn’t over,” Anunoby said.
“Just keep our foot on their necks and just try to win the game.”
Brunson said the Knicks must continue to concentrate.
“Just focus on one possession at a time,” Brunson said.
“The way we’ve been having that mindset these past couple weeks, we have to continue it, if not actually better.”
The Cavs attracted criticism one social media for their negative body language late in the defeat as some accused them of giving up too easily.
The Knicks last reached the NBA Finals 27 years ago when they lost to San Antonio. They have not won the NBA championship since 1973.
New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns had 13 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals while Josh Hart added 12 points, nine rebounds, five assists and four steals for a Knicks team that has not been beaten in a month.
“Our mindset hasn’t changed,” Brunson said.
“We’re trying to get better every single day. We’re trying to learn from winning.
“There’s a lot of things we can get better at. There’s a lot of things we can control, a lot of mental errors that we need to clean up, but we’re always just looking for ways to try and get better.”
Evan Mobley led Cleveland with 24 points while Donovan Mitchell added 23 and James Harden scored 19 points.
The Cavaliers, who squandered a 22-point lead to lose the series opener, never led as New York seized command early and dominated.
“I guess you could say momentum carried over (from game one),” Anunoby said.
“We try to play the right way every game but maybe that momentum carried over a little bit.”
New York started the game 10-of-13 from the floor to seize a 29-19 lead only 8:29 into the contest, Towns delivering 11 points in the run on the way to a 37-27 lead after the first quarter.
Cleveland trimmed New York’s half-time edge to 60-54 but the Cavs committed six turnovers in the first six minutes of the third quarter.
The Knicks were a 91-82 ahead entering the fourth quarter and stretched it 110-93 in the closing minutes before completing their fifth road triumph in a row.
“It’s just executing the game plan on both sides of the floor, playing the right way, moving the ball then getting stops on defence,” Anunoby said of New York’s secret to success.