Knicks’ Mike Brown reveals role MSG crowd played in comeback win over Cavs

The New York Knicks pulled off an absolute miracle on Tuesday night, and head coach Mike Brown knows exactly who to thank for inspiring the historic turnaround.

Down by as many as 22 points in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York looked dead in the water in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Instead of packing it in, the Knicks rode an unfathomable 44-11 game-ending explosion to secure a thrilling 115-104 overtime victory at a rocking Madison Square Garden.

Following the game, Brown praised his squad’s resilience but pointed directly to the roaring crowd as the real catalyst behind the madness.

“It was still a lot of time,” Brown told reporter Kris Pursiainen when asked if he considered throwing in the towel down 93-71 with less than eight minutes left in regulation. “I felt that, you know, if we open the floor up a little bit, and hit a couple of 3’s, while getting some stops… Our crowd is fantastic. It’s the best in the league. Our guys felt their energy.”

Brown then stared directly into the media cameras to deliver a heartwarming message to the fan base: “You guys were frickin’ awesome tonight.”

The Garden’s deafening energy clearly translated to the box score. Superstar point guard Jalen Brunson spearheaded the furious rally, pouring in a game-high 38 points to dismantle the Cleveland defense. Guard Landry Shamet provided an invaluable spark off the bench, logging 17 crucial minutes and knocking down three massive 3-pointers to finish with nine points and an eye-popping plus-minus of plus-25.

With the fans providing an unmatched home-court advantage, the Knicks became just the second team all season to overcome a 22-point fourth-quarter deficit. As this grueling series pushes forward, New York’s passionate faithful have proven they can actively shift the momentum of a playoff game.

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