Miles McBride provides Knicks another jolt in Game 6 — on both ends

At 6-foot-1, Miles McBride is not exactly known as a rim protector. 

Yet with just over five minutes left in the second quarter, there was McBride chasing down Derrick White on a fast break and emphatically blocking his shot off the backboard.

Josh Hart corralled the rebound, raced down the other end of the floor and got an and-one. It sent the raucous Madison Square Garden crowd into a tizzy. 

Then, a few minutes later, McBride’s 3-pointer with less than a second left in the quarter sent the Knicks into the halftime break up 64-37 and had the crowd at full voice. 

He finished the Knicks’ 119-81 Game 6 win over the Celtics — to close out the series — with 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting. 

After a rough first-round series against the Pistons, McBride responded with a terrific second round.

And he seems to keep getting better — and more confident — the further the Knicks go. 

“He doesn’t shoot well every game,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “Nobody does. Just keep playing, trust your game, the work you put in. Defensively, the ball pressure is terrific. He plays fast and you can go on runs with him. And be a catalyst. That’s what he does for us. Picks up full-court. If you’re open, shoot. If you’re guarded well, make a play for somebody else.” 

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The Knicks depth has been a weakness all year, and Thibodeau has narrowed his rotation down to seven players in recent games.

Mitchell Robinson’s defense and rebounding off the bench are critical, but McBride represents their only reserve who can provide a scoring punch and spark. 

And Friday night, he outplayed the best bench scorer in the league in Payton Pritchard, who won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award. 

McBride is one of the Knicks’ quickest players.

When he is on the floor, the Knicks often play faster and are more aggressive in transition. 

Nobody plays faster than the Pacers, the Knicks’ opponent in the Eastern Conference finals. 

McBride’s role will only grow more important.