Knicks' R.J. Barrett Recalls Valuable Playoff Lessons Before Cavs Series

New York Knicks wing R.J. Barrett sees his previous NBA playoff experience as being instrumental ahead of this year's matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

After missing the NBA playoffs during the 2021-22 season, the New York Knicks managed to bounce back. A 47-35 tally in the regular season has yielded a first-round series with the Cleveland Cavaliers as the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference starting on Saturday (6 p.m. ET, ESPN). 

For various members of the Knicks' core, it's not their first trip to the postseason. R.J. Barrett, one of New York's integral contributors, recalls what he learned from the team's 2021 playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks. Barrett has a greater appreciation for the little nuances that can add up to swing a game or a series.

“(We learned) those little things can change an entire series,” Barrett remarked of that futile set against Atlanta, per the New York Post. "That’s something I always remember."

In the series, a five-game loss, Barrett was contained to averages of 14.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in 32.4 minutes per game. In terms of scoring efficiency, he shot 38.8 percent from the floor and 28.6 percent from beyond the arc. He is confident in the growth he's experienced since that series. 

“We’re a lot better than we were. The guys that are on that team that were in that playoff run, we’ve all grown and we’ve all gotten better, so that helps,” Barrett said. “Experience helps. Guys that we have now, in addition, have been working well and we’ve just become better as a team.”

Brunson, who experienced a genuine breakout postseason appearance in last year's playoffs with the Dallas Mavericks, made clear his belief that the only way to get comfortable with playing at that stage is to go through the ups and downs with initial opportunities.

“You can say whatever you’ve got to say to them, but in order to gain experience you need to get experience,” Brunson said. “All we’ve kind of said is, ‘Hey, it’s a different level. We’ve got to turn it up. Be yourself, do what you do best, but you’ve just got to turn it up.’ That’s just how it is.”

It won't be easy against a team with a dynamic backcourt consisting of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland, or a frontcourt with Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, but regardless, the Knicks are confident in what they can achieve.

“We’ve believed in ourselves since Day 1, and we’re going to continue to believe in ourselves,” Barrett said. “At the end of the day, you’ve got to go on the court and show it and prove it, so that’s what we’re going to try to do.”

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