MSG crowd rattles misfiring Cavs in big Knicks playoff victory

It was sometimes ugly, sometimes beautiful and overall dominant from the Knicks.

New York didn’t win style points Friday night but dominated where it mattered most — on the scoreboard — riding a resurgent RJ Barrett and an energized crowd to a 99-79 victory to take a 2-1 series lead.

The Cavs shot just 36.8 percent on the evening, with Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein agreeing that the visitors were rattled by the raucous Garden fans.

“Yeah, I think coming into a crowd like this, not many people are used to it,” Hartenstein said. “Madison Square Garden, the playoffs especially. I’ve been in a couple series now. Nothing was like it.”

Garland, the Game 2 hero, looked especially flustered, missing (shield your eyes, children) 17 of his 21 attempts. The Cavs managed the fewest points of any team in any game of the 2022-23 season.

Much of Cleveland’s poor production was about the Knicks’ swarming defense. Their active hands and feet. Mitchell Robinson, the starting center, grabbed his arms and pretended to shiver when asked if the Cavaliers were hesitant to shoot in the paint.

“You saw that,” Robinson, the locker room jokester, said. “Definitely.”

So the Cavs weren’t ready for the moment, while Barrett (19 points, 8-for-12 shooting) and Jalen Brunson (21 points, six assists) rose to the occasion.

Garbage time started early in the fourth quarter when Obi Toppin’s dunk provided the Knicks a 20-point advantage. Then the Knicks stepped on the opponent’s throat.

The Cavs were shell-shocked. Garland went from scoring 32 points on 17 shots in Game 2 to just 10 points on 21 shots in Game 3.

It reached the point of Derrick Rose, buried on the Knicks bench all season, entering the game with 2:30 remaining at the urging of the crowd. His alley-oop pass to Toppin served as the icing on the Garden celebration.

The atmosphere was charged very early Friday night, the first playoff game at MSG in two years. The chants began before tipoff, with the rowdiness and decibel levels providing clear evidence that the NY State Liquor Authority still hasn’t banned James Dolan from selling alcohol.

Donovan Mitchell, the focus of the series as its top star and local product, predicted “chaos.”

“It’s gonna be exciting. It’s gonna be fun. It’s gonna be a dogfight. We sent a statement in Game 2, and you expect them to respond,” Mitchell said after the morning shootaround. “That’s their character. That’s their makeup as a group. We’ve gotta be ready to match that energy and not get too overwhelmed with the noise.”

Mitchell, who finished with 22 points, handled it well. The rest of the Cavs were overwhelmed by the environment, most notably Garland.

“I don’t know, I’m not them,” Robinson, who finished with two blocks, laughed when asked if the Cavaliers were rattled. “But probably.”

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