Jalen Brunson leads New York Knicks past Cleveland Cavaliers to the 2nd round

Whatever language is used, everyone knew what was at risk for the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 5 against the New York Knicks in the early hours of Thursday, April 27 at home.

However, the Cavaliers were unable to extend their campaign as the Knicks triumphed 106-95 to take a 4-1 series lead. 

Only five games into their first playoff participation since 2018 and their first without LeBron James since 1998, Cleveland's season ends in a devastating manner with a first-round NBA playoff defeat.

The Cavaliers' regular-season record of 51-31 gave them the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference and home-court advantage, but it was not the outcome they had anticipated.

New York won the opener at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, then dominated the Cavs twice at raucous Madison Square Garden before returning to Cleveland to finish the job. 

The winner of Miami-Milwaukee will play the fifth-seeded Knicks next in an explosive second round.

A series that was more one-sided than anticipated was easily controlled by the Knicks. 

The series triumph meant even more to Brunson, whose father, Rick, was a point guard for the Knicks from 1999 to 2001. Brunson was the constant component throughout the series for the Knicks.

The Knicks acquired the lanky guard as a free agent last summer before their attempt to land Donovan Mitchell in a trade from Utah fell through and he ended up in Cleveland.