RJ Barrett back in attack mode after struggling early in series
Knicks guard RJ Barrett reacts after scoring in the second half of Game 4 in an NBA first-round playoff series against the Cavaliers on Sunday at Madison Square Garden. Credit: AP/Mary Altaffer
When RJ Barrett left Cleveland after Game 2 he headed home with questions. There were calls on television for him to be benched. Fans were growing impatient with the development of the 22-year-old Knicks wing. And while he and his teammates and coach expressed confidence, there was no player who had seemed more troubling to their chances.
Sunday afternoon, as Barrett was putting the finishing touches on a homecoming tour that saw him help carry the Knicks to a pair of wins at Madison Square Garden, the crowd was chanting his name loudly, celebrating his contribution.
The cheers were well-deserved, but if the Knicks hope to close out the best-of-seven playoff series Wednesday they need Barrett to take the turnaround performance on the road.
“Yeah, super aggressive, downhill, getting to the line, those attacks," Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. "I thought, attacking the double-teams and getting to the back side put them in some closeouts, long closeouts, and I thought he read the closeouts well. So, the game will tell you what to do."
Barrett never doubted that his touch would come back. He had 19 points in Game 3, connecting on 8 of 12 shots, including three three-point field goals. He had 26 points Sunday in Game 4 — 9-for-12 from inside the arc, but 0-for-6 from three. Asked after the breakout Friday when he thought his shot was repaired, he said Wednesday, pointing to a day of work. But he wouldn’t elaborate on what or how he found his way back.
What mattered most was he attacked, which is what Thibodeau has stressed as the most important part of his game. And with Julius Randle struggling the Knicks need that from Barrett.
“I think that a lot of times they were doubling Jalen [Brunson] so I was able to get the ball and kind of make the play,” Barrett said after Sunday’s win. “It happens sometimes, sometimes you don’t get the play, sometimes you do. It depends on the game. When I get it, try to do something with it. And then just set the tone I guess for the rest of the game. We were all in attack mode. It was a lot of fun.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
