The New York Knicks arrived in Cleveland holding a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals, and Game 3 was scheduled for 8 p.m. Saturday in Cleveland on WCPO 9. At the center of the trip is Miles McBride, the fifth-season guard whose postseason breakout helped New York take control of the series.
McBride averaged 12 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists this season for the Knicks, but on May 10 he produced a postseason career-high 25 points in the series-clinching win at Philadelphia, making 7 of 9 three-point attempts. That one-night explosion has turned a player known for defense and hustle into a potential X-factor as the Knicks try to finish the job and move two wins from the NBA Finals.
“He’s a workaholic,” said Walt McBride, Miles’s father, describing the routine that underpins those sudden scoring nights. “I think he gets that from being grounded and coming from Moeller and things like that. He’s always the first one there and last one to leave. He’s on time to things. It’s a blessing and hopefully he gets five more.”
Those five more would mean not only advancing past Cleveland — the Knicks hold a 2-0 edge — but reaching the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999 and chasing the franchise’s first championship since 1973. For a city and fan base that has waited decades, McBride’s hot shooting and steady defense have amplified interest across his hometown and the league.
McBride is a Cincinnati-area native who graduated from Moeller in 2019 after back-to-back Division I state championships in 2018 and 2019. He was a former high school quarterback before turning full attention to basketball. The McBride family — Walt, Kim, Trey, Miles and Kristen — have followed his path closely; Trey McBride is also a professional basketball player, currently playing in Germany.
Walt McBride said the family planned to be in Cleveland on Saturday night to watch Game 3 live. “The family is very excited about what is going on,” he said. He recounted the Cincinnati crowd’s embrace of his son: “I was amazed how many Knicks fans we have in Cincinnati and just around when we go to road games,” and added, “The (Roger Bacon) kids are loving it. They’ll come in and say, ‘Mr. McBride – we saw your son and let’s go Knicks.’ It’s exciting.”
The tension under the surface is plain: McBride’s season averages are modest for a playoff rotation player, but his 25-point outburst and 7-for-9 mark from deep in Philadelphia raise the question of whether that performance was a flash or the start of a new level. The Knicks have leaned on role players all postseason; whether McBride can sustain that shooting in Cleveland will matter as much as the team’s star power.
Walt described the small rituals that have steadied his son through the playoffs. “Before every game, I’ll text him and say, ‘Go get them. Let’s go.’ Something like that,” he said. He used to send tactical notes, too: “I used to text him different things like, ‘All right, stay down on defense. Watch this, watch that.' Then, he’ll text back, ‘Dad, I got this.’”
With Game 3 hours away and the series tipping toward a potential sweep or a crucial Cavaliers response, the most immediate picture is simple and human: a family traveling to Cleveland to watch a son who grew up in nearby stadiums try to help a long-suffering franchise finally change its trajectory. Walt summed up both pride and hope in one line: “Everybody is all in. New York – they really need this.”
They will be there Saturday night — Walt, Kim, Trey and Kristen — holding their phones and sending the same texts they always do. “They’ll send text messages in our family group and he’ll respond, ‘Thanks. Love you all, let’s keep it going,'” Walt said. The question for the Knicks is whether McBride can keep it going long enough to end a 50-year title drought.
