CLEVELAND — The Knicks expected rebounding to be a key factor against the oversized front court of the Cavaliers, and they enjoyed a decided advantage on the boards in their victory in Game 1 of their opening-round playoff series.
The Knicks held a 51-38 rebounding edge overall, including a 17-11 advantage on the offensive boards in their 101-97 victory at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Saturday.
Julius Randle grabbed 10 rebounds in his first game in nearly two weeks, including a crucial one off the offensive glass in the final seconds of the fourth quarter.
Josh Hart and Mitchell Robinson had five offensive boards apiece and 18 overall between them.
“You can’t say enough about the offensive rebound that Jules got at the end. That was a monster play,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “One thing about [the Cavaliers] is that they’re long and they’re athletic and they’re also quick to the ball. So you’ve got to get a body to them.
“For us, it’s one of the things we do well. We’ve been a good rebounding team all year. We know that’s a big part of our game. And we’re going to have to continue to do it.”
Robinson led the NBA in offensive rebounding among qualifying players with 4.5 per game during the regular season, and Randle’s 10.0 boards per game overall helped the Knicks finish tied for second with an average of 46.6 rebounds per game.
The midseason addition of Hart also added 7.0 boards per game off the bench.
Julius Randle drives to the basket in between Cavaliers defenders during the Knicks’ 101-97 Game 1 win.
Though the Cavaliers typically started dual 6-foot-11 big men Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley this season, they finished 25th in rebounding with 41.1 on average.
Allen had 14 boards Saturday night and Mobley had 11, but the remainder of the Cleveland roster combined for 13.
Hart, when he sat down next to Jalen Brunson for their postgame press conference, was wearing a T-shirt with a photo of his former Villanova teammate.
“He was on the cover of Slam, a couple of weeks ago. So I bought a shirt, told him I was going to wear it at some point,” Hart said. “He gets in [early] foul trouble the day I wear it, so I’m gonna burn it and never gonna wear it again.”
Sixth Man of the Year finalist Immanuel Quickley had a rare ineffectual offensive game, missing all five of his shots and finishing with three points in 24 minutes.
Cavaliers starting small forward Isaac Okoro scored six points on 1-for-6 shooting in his return to the lineup after he missed the final six games of the regular season with left knee soreness.
