The New York Knicks showed no regard for seeing Travis Kelce or his “girlfriend” Taylor Swift put on another ruthless playoff display against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Jalen Brunson scored 30 points, Mikal Bridges added 22 and Josh Hart again impressed with nine rebounds as the Knicks took a 3-0 lead in their Eastern Conference Finals thanks to a 121-108 victory.
The Knicks can clinch a berth in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999 tomorrow night and rack up an 11th consecutive postseason victory.
Cleveland seemed in disbelief throughout, as if they knew the game was over.
Kelce stunt backfires as Knicks advance
Not even Kansas City Chiefs tight end Kelce could inspire them with a drink of beer before the fourth quarter. It may have woken up the home crowd, but the team didn’t do the same as the Knicks scored five unanswered points early in the fourth quarter and never looked back.
Kelce would not have been impressed by the Cavs’ display and nor by the ESPN commentators who refused to use Swift’s name when referring to the pop superstar.
Mike Breen initially referred to Swift as “Travis Kelce’s fiancée” before Richard Jefferson called her “Travis’ girlfriend.”
If this was a little strange, what was completely routine was the brilliance of the Knicks, led by Brunson but also relying on players off the bench in a play that is becoming coach Mike Brown’s hallmark.
“We have a group of people in that locker room that work very hard and are very psychotic about their jobs and the things they do,” Brunson said. “When their number is called and when it’s time to go, they’re ready. There are a lot of true professionals on our roster.”
Knicks coach Brown inspired by Kerr and Popovich
Brown has worked with Steve Kerr and Gregg Popovich and said their influence has influenced his approach. “These were guys who went deep on their bench,” Brown said. “They’d say, ‘It’s not about now, it’s about the postseason.’ You keep guys interested by doing that. That’s something I stole from them. There were some things I came up with on my own. I’ve seen it work in the past and that’s what I wanted to do here.”
The Cavs are now drinking in the last-chance room and coach Kenny Atkinson admitted the Knicks are proving difficult to stop.
“I don’t think we were able to get to that level to combat his physicality and energy,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said. “They’re on a tremendous streak. We haven’t been able to stop the momentum. We had a chance in that first game and I thought about stopping it, but they haven’t been able to stop the momentum.”
