What. A. Quarter. The Knicks ripped victory from the jaws of defeat Saturday night in front of a rabid crowd on 7th Ave. This game felt like it was heading the wrong way all night long, and it took an unlikely hero to help turn the game around. No one would have ever thought Cam Payne would be the person to turn it around, but the playoffs love random players.

Payne entered off the bench to start the fourth quarter with the Orange and blue trailing by eight, and helped them catch fire. Payne’s big shots helped catalyze AND punctuate what became a 21-0 run. The run featured contributions from Brunson, Hart, Towns, and OG, a true team effort alongside Payne.

A lot of eyes were on Karl Anthony Towns as he entered his first playoff game in a Knicks uniform. He answered the bell going for 23 points, 11 boards, and 5 assists, shooting 10/14 from the field. It was an efficient performance, which was badly needed with Jalen Brunson having a very inefficient night. OG Anunoby was the other man on his game, putting 23 points on 7 rebounds and playing strong defense.

While a lot went right tonight for some guys, not much did two very important members of this group. While Mikhail Bridges was mostly a non-factor, Jalen Brunson’s struggles from the floor was a bigger concern. Number 11 did go for 34 points on the night, but that was off a high volume of shots, making 12 out of 27. For what it’s worth, Brunson did the same thing in the first two games of round one last year and then took off from there, but it’s bit more concerning because his ankle injury may be a factor. He was hobbled at times down the stretch despite making a number of big shots. This team will go as far as he can take them so his health is paramount.

The best news of the night for the Knicks is that they won a game where they played far from their best. They were sloppy, disorganized, and at times looked flat out confused. Tom Thibodeau needs to refocus his team and prepare them for a Pistons response in game 2. Detroit knows they can hang in this game and play with the Knicks, but they must keep the crowd out of it and slow momentum if they’re going to win in this series. A cleaner game all around should only result in a larger margin of victory for the Knicks.

On twitter you can find Mike @Mike_Sheerin, Tyler @TMon_19 and Sean @SeanMartinNFL. Subscribe to the site by hitting the follow button in the bottom right corner and entering your email address. Check out our Instagram feed @thebroadwaybreakdownsports for special gameday and promotional content. Our podcasts are available on Spotify. Visit the Rangers Ed Shop by clicking the link on our homepage. Check out our mailbag page to join the conversation here on the site and on our partners show, The Rangers Ed Podcast! We’ll be back with more soon!