Knicks vs. Cavaliers Game 2 key: Cleveland has a Julius Randle, Josh Hart sized rebounding problem
And just like that, homecourt advantage is gone.
The Cavaliers finished the regular season four games ahead of the Knicks in the Eastern Conference standings, but New York opened the first-round matchup between the two teams with a Game 1 win in Cleveland.
Donovan Mitchell’s 38 points weren’t enough to overcome 27 points from Jalen Brunson and double-doubles from both Julius Randle (19 points, 10 rebounds) and Josh Hart (17 points, 10 rebounds). The Cavaliers also struggled to keep several Knicks off the offensive glass, which could be a problem for them in this series.
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The Knicks have a rebounding advantage vs. Cavaliers
The Cavaliers finished the regular season with the best defensive rating in the NBA, but rebounding was one of the few things they struggled with. As a team, they grabbed 71.5 percent of available defensive rebounds, which ranked them 20th in defensive rebounding percentage.
That might not be a big deal against some teams, but only the Rockets had a higher offensive rebounding percentage than the Knicks. Rarely turning the ball over and hammering teams on the offensive glass helped the Knicks overcome being a below-average shooting team to finish in the top five in offensive efficiency.
Mitchell Robinson (4.5) and Isaiah Hartenstein (2.5) were among the league leaders in offensive rebounds per game. Jericho Sims (1.9), Hart (1.9) and Randle (1.8) were also factors on the boards. Sims might not play in this series, but Robinson, Hartenstein, Hart and Randle are each key pieces in New York’s rotation.
How the Knicks punished the Cavaliers in Game 1
Sure enough, rebounding was a talking point after Game 1.
The Knicks grabbed a total of 17 offensive rebounds in the 101-97 win to steal homecourt advantage. They turned those opportunities into 23 second-chance points, which is tied for the third-most the Cavaliers gave up in a game this season.
Robinson and Hart led the Knicks in Game 1 with five offensive rebounds each. The two of them had almost as many offensive boards as the Cavaliers did as a team (11).
Jarrett Allen has a slight weight advantage over Robinson, but Robinson is three inches taller. Evan Mobley is only an inch shorter than Robinson, but he’s giving up a decent amount of size (25 pounds).
Mitchell did his work early and leaned on those physical advantages to beat both Allen and Mobley to the ball throughout the game.
Hart is more of an opportunistic rebounder than Robinson is. Even though he’s a perimeter player, the Cavaliers learned the hard way that they have to put a body on him at all times. (The man’s nickname on Basketball Reference is — no joke — Josh Barkley for a reason.)
Seeing Hart beat two players to the ball in the open court will hurt on the rewatch.
Randle and Hartenstein pulled down another four offensive rebounds between the two of them, two of which came in the final minute of the game.
Brunson’s floater that put the Knicks up by four points with 35.4 seconds remaining? That came after an offensive rebound from Hartenstein.
The two free throws Quentin Grimes hit that served as the nail in the coffin? Those came after an offensive rebound from Randle on perhaps the biggest possession of the game.
How the Cavaliers plan to respond to the Knicks’ rebounding
Allen took some of the blame for Cleveland’s rebounding woes in Game 1, saying he has to be better.
“We have to rebound, especially me,” Allen said. “I let a few get away from me in crucial moments.
“It’s just a whole effort on the defensive end. We’re good at getting stops. We’re good at making our rotations. It’s just grabbing that rebound at the end.”
Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, meanwhile, said it was a good lesson for the Cavaliers on the difference between the regular season and playoffs.
“The game changes in the playoffs. The rules change in the playoffs,” Bickerstaff added. “What is a body-to-body foul in the regular season is not body-to-body in the playoffs. This is going to be the story of this series. Can we limit them on the offensive glass? If we can’t, we’re going to have a hard time winning. If we can, we’ll have a chance.”
Being more physical and paying closer attention to detail will certainly help, but New York is built to exploit Cleveland’s rebounding problems in a way few others can.
Published at Tue, 18 Apr 2023 09:00:04 +0000
