Rebounds and their stars splitting starring duties helped the Knicks to a 1-0 start in the best-of-7

This is the Cathedral of St. John’s the Evangelist, in Cleveland, Ohio.

In 1884, the church added stained glass windows.

139 years later, those windows are under new ownership. The New York Knicks won Game 1 of their first-round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers 101-97, fighting all night to try and pull away, then fighting back after falling behind with two minutes left. On a night where the two teams were neck-and-neck across the board, the standout difference was the Knicks’ owning the glass on both ends.

Assists, turnovers, steals, blocks – the two teams were separated by only one or two in each category. Fast break points saw a difference of two, points in the paint just four. Where the Knicks managed to break away were second-chance points, winning those 23-12. That’s what happens when you rebound a third of your misses. New York also outrebounded Cleveland on the defensive glass 34-27. On a night when the game wasn’t decided till five seconds were left and the two teams were dead even in so many ways, Mitchell Robinson and Josh Hart’s five offensive rebounds each were no less important than Jalen Brunson’s 27 points or Julius Randle’s 19. It was a smash-and-grab job: smash the Cavs on the glass and grab the lead in the series. Mission accomplished.

This was Randle’s first game in 17 days and you’d never have guessed it seeing him go off in the first half. Prolific and proficient, the All-Star Knickerbocker poured in points on a night when Brunson spent most of that half on the bench in foul trouble. The Knicks didn’t win the game in the first half, but Randle’s play helped keep them in front until Brunson was able to stay on the floor for an extended stretch. In this case, “extended stretch” was the whole second half minus the last minute of the third, and “stay on the floor” means brought Cleveland the pain.

Randle was subbed out less than five minutes into the game, pro’ly because he hasn’t played in over two weeks and his conditioning needs some time to get back where it was. It happened again in the third quarter, and it was cool both times – the Knicks had success with their quicker lineups in both halves. If you tuned in late it might have looked weird seeing Isaiah Hartenstein on the floor at the end of the game – and Immanuel Quickley not – but this team’s trust in its depth has paid off all year, and it did again yesterday; New York’s reserves outscored Cleveland’s 37-14. On a night his shot wasn’t falling, RJ Barrett contributed six assists, four steals and four rebounds, and sometimes it’s not how many you make, but when you make them. A Barrett 3-pointer kick-started the Knicks on the 20-12 run they ended thie third quarter on to take an eight-point lead into the fourth.

Throw whatever numbers out there you like; they all added up to the Knicks trailing by one as the game hit the last two minutes. With the shot clock running down and Brunson and Randle blanketed by Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley, Josh Hart, who’d already had a terrific playoff debut to that point, continued to add to his two-month legacy in New York, hitting from three to give the Knicks the last lead they’d need.

Doesn’t mean the fight was over. The Knicks scored two more baskets after that but the Cavs kept pace with them. It was still a two-point game with nine seconds left when Brunson’s pull-up clanged off the iron and toward the weakside baseline. Jarrett Allen was in position to collect it. As soon as Brunson rose to shoot, Allen looked for Hartenstein, whose dash toward the hoop ended with him out of bounds, behind the basket stanchion, with zero shot at the ball. As soon as Brunson rose, Randle dashed toward the cup. It was he, who played 34 minutes on his not-recovered sprained ankle, who hauled it in and kicked it out to Quentin Grimes. Grimes was fouled and hit two free throws to clinch the Knicks’ first Game 1 road win in a playoff series since 1999’s Eastern conference finals in Indiana.  

And now the postseason emotional roller coaster can properly begin. If the Knicks had lost the lead late and then the game, they could have entered Game 2 under a ton of pressure. Instead, they’ve already accomplished their minimum objective – win in Cleveland and shift the homecourt advantage back to New York – and get the chance to really take a firm grip on the series with a Game 2 victory. The Cavaliers now face their first pressure point this season, needing a win Tuesday to avoid traveling to Madison Square Garden needing to either sweep the next four games or take four out of five – at worst.

Brunson probably won’t be in as much foul trouble next game. Quickley will surely make more shots and throw fewer cross-court interceptions. The two teams will improve on their combined 30% mark from deep. Vagaries will vary. Maybe that’s why the mantra that repeated throughout while watching this win – “Just keep doing what you’re doing, just keep on keeping on” – feels like it applies next game, too. Unless the Cavaliers manage to manifest some meaningful changes from now to Tuesday, the Knicks first win may only be the start of something big.