OG Anunoby looked like himself for the first time since getting hurt in the Knicks’ Game 3 win
CLEVELAND – Post-injury OG Anunoby was never the same as pre-injury OG Anunoby – until Saturday night.
After suffering a right hamstring strain in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals and missing the final two games of that series, Anunoby returned for the Eastern Conference finals.
Anunoby has been great in the first two games against Cleveland.
But in Game 3, he looked like himself, burying the Cavaliers with an incredible performance of 21 points, seven rebounds and four assists, as the Knicks took a 3-0 lead in the series by beating the Cavaliers 121-108 at Rocket Arena.
“Each day I started feeling better and better. We have a great medical staff,” Anunoby said. “Being strong every day. Good team, good coaches. There was a lot of cooperation.”
In the first two games of this series, there was some rust which was to be expected since the veteran took 12 days between games.
Most importantly, he appears healthy and contributes to success.
He came up big in overtime of the Knicks’ victory in Game 1, scoring six points, and was effective in Game 2, shooting 5-of-8 from the field and making two 3-pointers.
On Saturday night, he was explosive, dangerous beyond the arc and part of the Knicks’ strong transition game.
He was 3-of-4 on 3-point attempts.
It is very clear that the Knicks have taken a break with Anunoby’s injury.
Two years ago, he suffered a hamstring injury that led to the Knicks dropping a 2-0 series to the Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
This time, it wasn’t that difficult.
“OG was fun,” Brown said. “He had buckets that came in our time, play after play after play.”
Before the injury, Anunoby was playing at an incredibly high level.
He averaged 21.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 1.1 blocks in the playoffs.
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He also shot 53.8 percent on 4.9 attempts from three-point range, and the Knicks outscored the opposition by 20 points per 100 possessions with him on the court.
There was a lot of positives in the Knicks’ 10th consecutive playoff victory, which led them to within one win of their first NBA Finals appearance in 27 years.
Anunoby’s performance was near the top of the list – they need this version of him to win it all.
“OG is playing well. Most importantly, he’s locked in,” Jalen Brunson said. “He’s doing the things we know he can do. He looks great.”
