CLEVELAND — The third time was the charm.
Two years ago, Karl-Anthony Towns reached the Western Conference finals as a member of the Timberwolves and lost in five games.
Last year, in his first season with the Knicks, the Pacers ruined his dream of reaching the NBA Finals.
But this spring, he was able to break through, and Towns was far from a secondary contributor.
He was a vital piece of the rampaging Knicks rolling through the Eastern Conference like a freight train. They won a franchise record 11th straight playoff game, completing a dominant series sweep of the Cavaliers with a 130-93 throttling at Knicks fan haven Rocket Arena.
“Experience — experience teaches you a lot,” Towns said. “This is my third conference finals in a row, and I finally got over the hump, finally got to the Finals. For me, I’m going to enjoy this moment, I’m going to enjoy tonight.”
Towns was one of the heroes, notching his eighth double-double of the playoffs with 19 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals.
Entering the series, there was some uncertainty how Towns would deal with the versatile and talented Cavaliers big men, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. He struggled in the opener, a game in which Jalen Brunson rallied the Knicks from a 22-point fourth-quarter deficit.
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From there, however, Towns was the best big man in this series, imposing his will at both ends of the floor. He was a monster on the glass, averaging 12 rebounds in the series, along with 15.7 points.
Coach Mike Brown’s decision to tweak the offense and run it through Towns at times became one of the storylines of this postseason run. The Knicks were trailing the Hawks 2-1 at the time, and they haven’t lost since.
Towns struggled for much of the regular season, averaging his fewest points (20.1) since his rookie year. His 13.8 field goal attempts were the fewest of his 11-year NBA career. But he has turned it up in the playoffs, particularly in this new role of playmaker, tallying 6.1 assists — more than quadrupling what he produced in the playoffs a year ago.
He’s been a more efficient player, his shooting percentages improving across the board (55.9 percent from the field, 45.2 percent from 3-point range) as the stakes have risen. And now, he will get to play on the sport’s biggest stage, for his hometown team.
“It means the world. I grew up a Knicks fan, as was documented,” Towns said. “What’s more of an honor is growing up in the area, I feel like the word ‘hope’ has been gone from the New York Knicks name for a long time. To be a part of this team that revives the word hope in the city, it’s something special, and it’s an honor.”
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