The Knicks shocked the basketball world once again by defeating the Boston Celtics 121 to 113 in Game 4, taking a commanding 3-1 series lead in the process. New York got big contributions on offense from their four best offensive players, something that must keep happening if the Knicks want their magical playoff run to continue.
Jalen Brunson dropped 39 points, Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges each had 23, while OG Anunoby added 20. It was the first time all playoffs that the Knicks had more than two players score at least 20 points in a game, and it couldn't have happened at a better time.
The Boston series feels over. The Knicks have a 3-1 lead, and the Celtics will be without their best player for the remainder of the playoffs, after Jayson Tatum suffered a horrific Achilles injury in Game 4.
But if the Knicks are to wrap up the series, and if they want to compete with the Indiana Pacers in the Conference Finals, or potentially compete for an NBA Championship after that, it will take more group efforts like they got in Game 4.
Brunson gets help
For much of these playoffs, the Knicks success has been directly tied to how heroic Brunson has been, specifically in the clutch. That is not to say that others haven't contributed at all, there was Anunoby dropping 29 points in Game 1 against the Celtics, Towns had a 31-point performance against Detroit, and Bridges has had dominante stretches.
That said, all four of them hadn't popped at the same time until Game 4. Brunson was his normal heroic self, scoring 39 points while shooting 50 percent from 3-point range. Towns hasn't found his 3-point shot all series, where he has been just 1-of-10, but he was unstoppable from two in Game 4.
Towns finished the game shooting 92 percent on 2-pointers, going 11-of-12. He was a force all game in the post, where he generated 1.5 points per direct post, tied for his fifth-best mark all season in games where he has posted up at least five times.
Mikal "Mid-Range" Bridges showed up in a huge way in the fourth quarter, where he had a team-high 10 points. He diced the Celtics up in the mid-range in the fourth, on 5-of-6 shooting, each one more important than the last.
Anunoby hit four critical 3-pointers for New York, on 50 percent shooting from downtown. He has been the Knicks' best 3-point shooter in the playoffs, where he is hitting 38.7 percent of his threes on 6.2 attempts per game. On top of that, he has been the team's most important defender.
Job isn't done
The series feels over, for the reasons discussed above, but it isn't. The Celtics are still a formidable opponent, even without Tatum. This year, Boston was 8-2 without Tatum in the lineup; last year, they were 7-1. Jaylen Brown hasn't looked himself, but he is an All-NBA talent and was the MVP of the NBA Finals just last year. The Knicks cannot play with their food here.
Another element is that the Indiana Pacers have already booked their ticket to the Conference Fianls, defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games. The Knicks don't want to extend their series while Indiana sits at home and rests. The Knicks have a perfect opportunity, they just need to capitalize on it.