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On April 26, the New York Knicks booked their ticket into the second round of the playoffs by defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers for their fourth and final win of the series.
After the game, Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart addressed the media together. When Hart was asked whether he believed Brunson was a star player, he decided to troll his teammate by giving a hilarious response.
“I think so,” Hart said. “He’s undersized. Overrated. Overpaid. But yeah, he’s a star player. He showed that last year in the playoffs. He showed that this whole season. And he’s continuing to show it, continuing to prove people wrong. None of us in that locker room or in that front office or coaching staff are surprised at how he’s playing. You’re an All-Star. You’re an All-Star, buddy.”
Brunson ended the series against Cleveland with averages of 24 points, 4.8 assists, and 4.2 rebounds per game on 50% shooting from two-point range and 29% shooting from deep.
Donovan Mitchell Issues Statement After Loss
Following the Cavaliers’ elimination from the playoffs, former Knicks target Donovan Mitchell discussed his team’s season before crediting New York for outplaying his team throughout the series.
“We did a lot of special things this year, but for it to end this way doesn’t feel right,” Mitchell said. “I’m proud of every one of those guys in this locker room, the coaching staff, and everybody, but they outplayed us. Gotta give credit where credit is due. Simple as that.”
Mitchell, 26, was one of the standout performers in the series between the Knicks and Cavaliers, averaging 23.2 points, 7.2 assists, and 5 rebounds over five games while shooting 54.2% from two-point range and 28.9% from three-point land. Unfortunately for Mitchell, his season is now over, and he will need to continue waiting for postseason success.
Josh Hart Heaps Praise on Mitchell Robinson
Since the playoffs began, Mitchell Robinson has been one of the Knicks’ standout performers, putting an inconsistent regular season behind him to dominate a series that boasted multiple talented big men.
When addressing the media after the game, Josh Hart spoke glowingly of Robinson’s performances in the series, crediting him as being one of the best big men in the NBA.
“He showed this series why he’s one of the best bigs in the league,” Hart said. “He was huge for us on the defensive end; he’s gotta be the best rebounder in the league just in terms of how he goes and gets the ball on both the defensive and offensive rebounds. He was huge for us, blocking shots, rebounding, controlling the paint. Like I said, he showed this series why he’s one of the best bigs in the league.”
By defeating the Cavaliers, the Knicks have now set up a second-round series against the Miami Heat, who secured a shock victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, knocking the championship favorites out of the playoffs in the first round. Should New York get the best of Miami, they will face either the Philadelphia 76ers or the winner of the Boston Celtics/Atlanta Hawks series in the conference finals.
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