Knicks ride big bench performances to Christmas win, send message to East rivals

Clarkson's shooting is no surprise, as providing offense off the bench has been a hallmark of the one-time Sixth Man of the Year's career. Kolek is getting opportunities from head coach Mike Brown that weren't there under old coach Tom Thibodeau, and he's taking full advantage.

Mitchell Robinson is the Knicks' X factor

The Knicks are looking like a true title contender this season in a way they didn't in 2024-25, even while they made it to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in a quarter-century. A big part of that has been having Mitchell Robinson all season, a big man who doesn't deliver much shooting but is an absolute menace on the offensive glass.

Robinson grabbed eight offensive rebounds Thursday in 17 minutes, while delivering two assists and only taking one shot (He missed). He's leading the league in offensive rebounds, and he provides an important level of defense and rebounding. Thanks to Karl-Anthony Towns' outside shooting ability, the Knicks can play Towns and Robinson together at times, which neutralizes on of the Cavs' strengths — the front court combo of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. Thursday, the Knicks big men collected 27 rebounds to the Cavs' duo's 17.

The Knicks still need Brunson, whose scoring was huge Thursday, but he gets more support than Cleveland's All-Star guard, Donovan Mitchell. "Spida" hit an incredible shot from near halfcourt and delivered an emphatic dunk in the final minute of the game, but he doesn't have the contributions from his role players than Brunson gets.

The Cavs and Knicks were the preseason favorites to win the East. Christmas showed that even when a lot goes right for the Cavaliers, the Knicks look like the deeper team and the bigger threat to go all the way.