When OG Anunoby went down with a right hamstring strain, the New York Knicks needed someone to step up. Miles McBride got the call in Game 3, but his first opportunity was quiet—just three points on 1-of-5 shooting from deep. It was a rare start for the backup guard, and the moment seemed to get the best of him.
But as any seasoned athlete knows, the key to success is a short memory. And McBride has one, according to head coach Mike Brown. "He's just tough-minded," Brown said. "In order to have success in anything you do in life, you need to have a short memory, and he definitely has a short memory."
That toughness was on full display in Game 4. With Anunoby still sidelined, Brown ran McBride right back out there, and this time, the 25-year-old made the most of it. From the opening tip, he was in rhythm. The pro-Knicks crowd at Xfinity Mobile Arena erupted with "DEEUUCCEE" chants as McBride went on a personal 9-0 run, quickly helping New York build a double-digit lead.
The Knicks were red-hot from beyond the arc, drilling an incredible 11 of 13 three-point attempts in the first quarter alone—tying an NBA record for the most in any playoff quarter. McBride was at the center of it all, draining his fifth three early in the second quarter before finally missing his first shot. He added two free throws and drilled his sixth three of the half, heading into the break with a team-high 20 points.
He kept rolling in the third quarter, hitting another three and adding three more from the free-throw line before Brown emptied the bench. By the time the final buzzer sounded, McBride had a game-high 25 points on 7-of-9 shooting from three-point range in a blowout victory.
"This is what I expect to do," McBride said. "I feel like that's why the coaching staff trusts me in the lineup, my teammates trust me out there, and just I trust my work."
With the Knicks heading to the Eastern Conference Finals, Anunoby will have time to heal. But getting McBride back in rhythm is a huge boost for the bench. "I just want to win and do what I can to help this team win," he said. And in Game 4, he did exactly that.