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3 Knicks Who Were Given a Wake-Up Call by Cavs in Game 1

Isaiah De Los Santos|
These Knicks players need to learn from Game 1.
These Knicks players need to learn from Game 1. | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

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New York Knicks

The Knicks' needing a momentous comeback on Tuesday inherently means a ton went wrong to put them there in the first place. Some of this can be attributed to rust, but several players simply didn't do what New York needed from them for most, if not all, of Game 1.

Now that they know what to expect from the Cavs, there are three Knicks who can use this contest as a reality check to hopefully learn from.

1. Josh Hart

At first glance, Josh Hart had a productive night in the boxscore. But in actuality, he was the weakest link for the Knicks all night long.

Hart's up-and-down shooting majorly impacted how this game unfolded in the first half and change. With the wing going just 1-of-5 from three, this allowed Cleveland to tighten up its defense on the non-Hart players by sagging off him with zero threat to worry about.

That was especially problematic when both the Cavaliers' elite bigs were on the floor, as they could focus on disrupting others' shots without a three-point concern to spread them out. Four of Hart's five field goal makes were within two feet of the basket as well, so this showed how limited he was at stretching the floor.

Even though Hart is a trusted member of this starting lineup, it got so bad that head coach Mike Brown decided to close the game with Landry Shamet in his place alongside the rest of the top four. It was this group that mounted the come-from-behind victory, with Shamet providing what Hart could not, as he added a pair of triples in the fourth, plus another in overtime to seal things up.

Given what Hart provides, attacking the rim (especially in transition), on the boards, and as a secondary playmaker/ball-handler, he's not going to become a straight DNP. But his minutes could absolutely be slashed, just like Brown did with Mikal Bridges when he was ultimately a net negative early in the Hawks series.

That, plus the comeback happening without him on the floor, should give Hart all the motivation he needs to right the ship from deep. Otherwise, he's only hurting the team and their chances of winning the title if he's going to be a liability like this.

2. Karl-Anthony Towns

Karl-Anthony Towns was the other Knick hit hardest by a change in opponents. After dominating the Atlanta midway through the first round and the 76ers throughout the semis, KAT's easy time as a centerpiece of this offense was nowhere to be found opening night against the Cavaliers.

Towns' two points in the entire first half were part of the early deficit. He didn't use his size like he had this postseason, failing to take advantage of mismatches when he had one of Cleveland's guards defending him. He also logged just three total rebounds over the first two quarters, a far cry from the board gobbling he did in the previous two series.

While Towns got going in Q3 (seven points, three rebounds), and even had seven rebounds in the fourth quarter, he still managed just four points while New York made its comeback. Overall, he was a disappointing 6-of-14 from the field and 1-of-5 from deep. Outside of his three, KAT recorded just one make more than two feet away from the rim.

The length and agility of the Evan Mobley-Jarrett Allen duo on the opposite side is giving Towns trouble. The open passing lanes that he's thrived on as a playmaker aren't as obvious. Meanwhile, both guys can stick with him whether he puts the ball on the floor or operates near/beyond the arc, whereas he feasted upon slower bigs like Onyenka Okonwu and Joel Embiid for his success earlier this playoffs.

While it is a more challenging matchup, Towns can't use that as an excuse to be less of a help in the conference finals. Asking Brunson to play over 40 minutes (even without overtime) and score 38 points every game is unrealistic. He needs his star running mate to raise his play, especially from deep, as the team went just 10-of-32 on threes, a crucial element for keeping the Cavs' defense honest and on their toes.

New York isn't getting a ton of scoring from its bench this postseason, as Miles McBride logged another goose egg on Tuesday. OG Anunoby is also working his way back from injury, and Hart's already cold. That puts the onus on KAT to score, or at least create opportunistic looks for his teammates while he has one of Cleveland's bigs focused on him.

3. Mitchell Robinson

Mitchell Robinson entered this Cavaliers showdown, teasing that his free-throw issues would be solved. Well, so much for that.

After starting the game hot, Cleveland looked to stop the big man's momentum in the third quarter by intentionally putting him at the line. That succeeded, as Robinson responded with an ugly 2-of-8 effort in Q3 that helped widen the gap between these clubs.

Considering how close this game became, Robinson's leaving six points at the charity stripe stings. It's also enough to pull out one's hair, considering he fully knew the Cavs would do just this, and if he makes his tries, it gives the Knicks a huge advantage with them in the bonus early.

These FT struggles seemed to have a larger effect on Robinson, who ended up playing only 14 minutes despite being effective early on. He wasn't super dominant on the boards (six rebounds), either, while also logging the second-worst worst-minus (-8) of any Knick in Game 1.

Considering the good he does on the floor with his size and work around the rim, New York needs Robinson to be his usual self there. Clanking attempts at the line isn't going to help that mission, though, so the coaching staff has to get the big man some extra work there at practice to hopefully come out better in Game 2 against a dangerous Cavaliers team convinced it can steal one on the road.

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Isaiah De Los Santos
ISAIAH DE LOS SANTOS

Isaiah De Los Santos has been in sports media for 10 years, most recently joining OnSI to cover the New York Knicks, New York Jets and New York Yankees. Previous stops for Isaiah include FanSided, SB Nation and SLAM.