Game Recap: 2026 NBA Eastern Conference Finals, Game 2 – NYK vs. CLE; W; CLE: 93, NYK: 109
Josh Hart was glued to the bench during the Knicks’ historic Game 1 comeback, so he went to the gym to work on his shooting. Like his team in last night’s 109-93 Game 2 victory, Hart used old-fashioned grit and determination to record his best playoff game ever.
Then, he delivered his best quote ever:
“I’m never a huge analytics guy. At a certain point, they’re a lamppost to a drunk person. You can lean on them, but it won’t get you home.”
Hart credited Jay Wright, his Villanova coach, for that remarkable analogy. 10 years ago, Hart won a championship with Villanova. Wouldn’t it be fitting for him to win another one a decade later?
Leon Rose and Mike Brown owe Wright a debt of gratitude for birthing the Nova Knicks, who are tearing their way through the Eastern Conference Finals. They are four wins from the NBA Finals, and Hart and Jalen Brunson, two Villanova legends, are leading the way.
Hart recorded a playoff career-high 26 points in yesterday’s win. He started the game 0-for-3 from behind the three-point line, then he was 1-for-5. But he locked in and finished the game with five made threes, shooting 10-for-21 from the field.
Cleveland was so focused on defending Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns that they forgot about Hart, who was a non-factor in Game 1. The lack of a viable defense gave Hart time to improve his metrics. Even though he was missing early, his teammates continued to trust him with the rock, and it paid dividends down the stretch.
“For me, it’s not like I go out there and make 500 threes,” Hart said. “If I go out and focus and make 500 threes, the mechanics slip just trying to make shots. So, we’re just doing the precise fundamentals of my shot and perfecting that. And if I did that, I’d be in a good position. And that’s what I did.”
Hart and Mikal Bridges, who scored 19 points on an efficient 9-of-12 shooting night, backed Brunson up wonderfully. Due to consistent double-teams, the captain dropped his scoring from 38 points to 19, but he penetrated every double with a pass, mainly to Hart or Bridges. Brunson earned a 14-assist double-double, and the Knicks finished with 17 more assists than Cleveland.
“It just shows that he plays the right way,” Bridges said of Brunson. “If you’re not going to send a double-team, I think it’s an advantage for him. If you send a double-team, he’s going to read and react and find the open guy. Ever since I’ve known him, he plays the right way. Kudos to him, how he works, and his understanding of the game.”
Brunson has now bested James Harden and every double-team he has faced in this series. To help Brunson avoid succumbing to double-teams, the Knicks perfected their spacing. Bridges was the best at catching the ball while cutting, and he and Hart confidently drained their shots in what Clyde Frazier would call the signature “Villanova Connection.”
Bridges struggled in the first round of these playoffs, but in this series, he has made massive contributions. His two triples in the fourth quarter of Game 1 were critical, and he remained a force in Game 2, nailing floaters and jump shots with 75% accuracy.
“I’m just taking what the defense gives me,” Bridges said. “I’m just being aggressive. If I’m open, shoot. If not, drive. That’s it.”
Towns also had a massive bounce-back game, earning another double-double with 18 points and 13 defensive rebounds. He helped the Knicks control the pace of play, especially on the defensive end. He also avoided foul trouble, tallying three personals. After all, Cleveland had to move most of their Towns defenders onto Hart.
“Last game, I felt, was a game for us to kind of download a lot of information,” Towns said. “Today, I just wanted to be aggressive. Like I always say, playmaking, getting looks at the basket. It wasn’t even about scoring; it was about putting pressure on the defense, and I just found myself in good positions.”
And don’t forget OG Anunoby, whose excellent interior defense kept Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen close. His +22 rating was the best on the Knicks, and he added a team-high three blocks.
Also, the Knicks defended the perimeter brilliantly, holding Cleveland to nine treys. Sam Merrill, usually a sharp shooter off the bench, missed all seven shots. In this series, he is now 3-for-15 from three-point range.
“Our defense was pretty good, especially when you have the talent that they have and the All-Stars that they have and the shooting that they have,” Brown said. “We just have to keep mixing up what we do. Our guys did a pretty good job of trying to pay attention and lock in on the details on the defensive end.”
Any time you can hold a playoff team to under 100 points at this stage is impressive. The first half was a back-and-forth battle. Cleveland scored the first four points of the third quarter, tying the game, but the Knicks didn’t flinch; they responded with an 18-point run, including nine from Hart, and never looked back. Hart scored 12 of his 26 points in the third quarter.
After that, Cleveland looked lost. They missed nine second-half free throws, despite attempting 18 more than the Knicks overall. Mobley, who totaled 14 points, didn’t attempt a single shot in the second half. Allen scored four second-half points, and Harden shot 2-for-7 from the field. The Knicks, with 15 second-half assists, held the Cavs to six.
“This shows the character we have of the guys in the locker room,” Hart said. Then, recognizing that Cleveland overcame a 2-0 deficit in their last series, he warned, “We can’t be happy with just being up 2-0. […] They’ll have a sense of urgency, a sense of desperation, so we can’t just match it, but exceed it.”
Game 3 at Rocket Arena is scheduled for tomorrow, 5/23, at 8 PM (ESPN, ESPN App).
Cover Image Courtesy: New York Knicks
