The New York Knicks built their team to compete with the Boston Celtics.
That's why they traded for OG Anunoby. That's why they traded for Mikal Bridges.
The only chance they had to slow down Boston's dynamic, long, athletic wing duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown was to counter with a couple of their own.
And there the Knicks' defense was in the fourth quarter, locking down the Celtics.
New York needed offense first, to erase a 20-point deficit in rapid-fire fashion.
And once the game was close, the Knicks' defense got it done.
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It's best summed up by Tatum's stats.
In the fourth quarter and OT combined, Tatum shot 1-for-9. He was 0-for-5 from 3-point land.
The Celtics whip the ball around until they get open looks. But the Knicks' defensive length stayed connected and made the 3-pointers tougher than Boston usually gets.
On a night like Monday, it doesn't matter one bit that the Knicks had to send big return hauls for Anunoby and Bridges.
Those picks weren't getting a win like this done. Neither was RJ Barrett.
The Knicks needed Anunoby and Bridges, and other high basketball IQ guys like Josh Hart and superstars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns.
The Celtics might still win the series, but it's not because the Knicks don't have a team capable of matching up with them.
In one of the biggest comebacks in New York playoff history, all-world defenders who were acquired in ambitious trades proved they were worth the cost.
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