The New York Knicks showed no regard for the watching Travis Kelce or his “girlfriend” Taylor Swift with another ruthless playoff display against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Jalen Brunson poured in 30 points, Mikal Bridges added 22 and Josh Hart again impressed with nine rebounds as the Knicks surged into a 3-0 lead in their Eastern Conference Finals thanks to a 121-108 win.
The Knicks can clinch a place in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999 tomorrow night and rack up an 11th straight post-season win.
Cleveland appeared short of belief throughout, as if they know the game is up.
Kelce stunt falls flat as Knicks march on
Not even Kelce, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end, could inspire them with a beer chug prior to the fourth quarter. It may have roused the home crowd but the team did not follow suit as the Knicks added five unanswered points to start the final quarter and never looked back.
Kelce would have been quietly unimpressed by the Cavs’ display and also by ESPN commentators refusing to use Swift’s name when referencing the pop superstar.
Mike Breen initially referred to Swift as “Travis Kelce’s fiancee” before Richard Jefferson called her “Travis’ girlfriend”.
If that was somewhat odd, what was entirely routine was the Knicks’ brilliance, led by Brunson but also featuring players from the bench in a move that is becoming the hallmark of coach Mike Brown.
“We have a bunch of individuals in that locker room who work really hard, and they’re very psychotic about their work and things they do,” Brunson said. “When their number’s called and when it’s time to go, they’re ready. A lot of real professionals on our roster.”
Knicks coach Brown inspired by Kerr and Popovich
Brown has worked under Steve Kerr and Gregg Popovich and said their influence has influenced his approach. “They were guys that went deep into their bench,” Brown said. “They would say, ‘It’s not about now, it’s about the post-season.’ You keep guys engaged by you doing that. That’s something I stole from them. There were a few things I came up with on my own. I’ve seen it work in the past, and that’s kind of what I wanted to do here.”
The Cavs are now drinking in the last-chance saloon and coach Kenny Atkinson admitted the Knicks are proving hard to stop.
“I think their physicality and energy, we couldn’t get to that level to combat it,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said. “They’re on a hell of a run. We haven’t been able to stop the momentum. We had one chance in that first game I thought to stop it, but they haven’t been able to halt their momentum.”
