CLEVELAND — Remember when Landry Shamet was buried on the bench?
That feels like another universe.
He drilled all four 3-pointers he took and recorded 16 points in the Knicks’ 130-93 Game 4 beatdown of the Cavaliers on Monday night at Rocket Arena that secured their place in the NBA Finals. He was at the heart of a 58-24 advantage in bench points that the Knicks had.
Across the last six games — Games 3 and 4 of the second round against the 76ers and all four games of this conference finals — Shamet went an incredible 17-for-21 from 3-point range.
“Landry Shamet has continued,” coach Mike Brown said, “to step up big on both ends of the floor.”
Shamet entered the postseason entrenched in Brown’s rotation, but his struggles early in the first round prompted Brown to elevate Jose Alvarado over him. Shamet then exclusively played garbage time until Games 3 and 4 of the second round, when OG Anunoby’s absence due to a hamstring strain reopened the door for him.
Shamet took the opportunity and ran with it.
He played a pivotal role in the historic 22-point comeback in Game 1 of these conference finals, drilling three critical 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and overtime. That comeback set the tone for the series and crushed the Cavs’ soul.
Jalen Brunson did not play a single minute of any of the Knicks’ three closeout games.
Brown was able to pull his starters and empty the bench for pretty much all of Monday’s blowout, just like he did in Game 6 of the first round and Game 4 of the second round.
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Karl-Anthony Towns used a personal snub as a chance to praise the overall team.
Towns was not named to any of the All-NBA teams despite his critical role on a team that just secured its place in the Finals. It meant the Knicks had just one player — Brunson — on the three All-NBA teams. Brunson made the second team.
“I think it talks more about our team, you know? That we’re selfless, and we’re willing to do whatever it takes for the development of our team and organization, and winning,” Towns said. “Like you said, you brought up a lot of, I guess, stats and things like that, but it just shows that it’s a collective effort getting the job done every single night in New York, and it speaks volumes to this team.”
