The first seven games of Karl-Anthony Towns, point center, had worked better than anyone could’ve anticipated.
The Knicks offense exploded. Towns was a pivotal part of an attack with a 130.5 offensive rating in that span, averaging eight assists.
But that was against the Hawks and 76ers, teams who didn’t really have an answer for Towns.
The Cavaliers are a different animal, and it showed in the opener of the Eastern Conference finals.
Towns was a non-factor offensively in the Knicks’ dramatic 115-104 come-from-behind overtime victory. He had trouble creating against Cleveland’s versatile and rangy big men defenders Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, limited to 13 points on 6-for-14 shooting along with seven turnovers.
“We do feel like we have the personnel to bother him. We’ve got multiple guys who can put pressure on him,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said. “We’ve gotta be really good with our off-ball defense. They’ve definitely shifted schematically like everybody knows. It’s been … it’s high level so it’s going to be a big part of the series.”
Overall, it has been a strong postseason for Towns. He entered the night averaging 17.4 points, 10 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.5 blocks. He has been taking far fewer shots than a year ago in the playoffs — 9.2 compared to 15.8 — but making more of an impact at both ends of the floor.
With Towns on the floor, the Knicks were outscoring the opposition by 24.8 points per 100 possessions.
On Tuesday, he struggled. He wasn’t dealing with the immobile Joel Embiid anymore. In the end, though, the Knicks persevered as Jalen Brunson took over in crunch time, and Towns didn’t mind that it wasn’t his best offensive game.
“I think the Knicks found a way to win tonight, and that’s all that matters,” said Towns, who did have 13 rebounds and five assists.. “It’s not about the individual performances, it’s about this team finding a way to put up a win on the board. I think that’s what’s special.”
