Homecourt advantage is huge in the playoffs.
The Knicks weren’t able to take advantage of it during Game 3 — the MSG crowd was quickly taken out of the equation as they fell behind early in a blowout loss in what was their first home matchup of the second round.
But Tuesday was a different story — the Knicks again found themselves trailing by double digits early in the second half, but this time they were able to stage another miraculous comeback sparked by the rocking MSG crowd.
“It was crazy,” big man Mitchell Robinson said. “I think it was way crazier than the other playoff games we’ve been in here before — this one was definitely No. 1.”
New York was trailing by as many as 13 points early in the third quarter, but another late barrage from Jalen Brunson pushed them back in front for the first time since late in the first quarter.
Brunson made clutch bucket after clutch bucket down the stretch. But he wasn’t alone in the late-game heroics as Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby were also tremendous and it took a complete team-effort to pull out the win — including the sixth man.
It was just the second home victory for the Knicks this postseason but it was certainly a big one, as it helped them establish a commanding series lead.
“We always say we have the best fans in the world,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said.
“They’ve been special all year,” Karl-Anthony Towns added. “When you have the fans we have and you have the city that supports you the way our city does, anything is possible. It’s because of them we have such a joy in our hearts coming to work everyday. Shoutout to them for sticking with us through the ebbs and flows of the season.”
The Knicks will now go back on the road to TD Garden looking to close out the series.
Homecourt advantage is huge in the playoffs.
The Knicks weren’t able to take advantage of it during Game 3 — the MSG crowd was quickly taken out of the equation as they fell behind early in a blowout loss in what was their first home matchup of the second round.
But Tuesday was a different story — the Knicks again found themselves trailing by double digits early in the second half, but this time they were able to stage another miraculous comeback sparked by the rocking MSG crowd.
“It was crazy,” big man Mitchell Robinson said. “I think it was way crazier than the other playoff games we’ve been in here before — this one was definitely No. 1.”
New York was trailing by as many as 13 points early in the third quarter, but another late barrage from Jalen Brunson pushed them back in front for the first time since late in the first quarter.
Brunson made clutch bucket after clutch bucket down the stretch. But he wasn’t alone in the late-game heroics as Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby were also tremendous and it took a complete team-effort to pull out the win — including the sixth man.
It was just the second home victory for the Knicks this postseason but it was certainly a big one, as it helped them establish a commanding series lead.
“We always say we have the best fans in the world,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said.
“They’ve been special all year,” Karl-Anthony Towns added. “When you have the fans we have and you have the city that supports you the way our city does, anything is possible. It’s because of them we have such a joy in our hearts coming to work everyday. Shoutout to them for sticking with us through the ebbs and flows of the season.”
The Knicks will now go back on the road to TD Garden looking to close out the series.
