Tag: KNICKS
Cavs get outworked, outhustled, fall to Knicks in Game 4
After losing Game 3 to the Knicks on Friday, the Cavs were down 2-1 in their first-round series, so Game 4 was a must-win for Cleveland.
However, Jalen Brunson had 29 points, six rebounds, and six assists, and R.J. Barrett added 26 points as the Knicks defeated the Cavs 102-93 at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.
With the loss, the Cavs are now down 3-1. Game 4 is Wednesday night in Cleveland.
Here’s the Great, Not So Great, and the Bottom Line of the Cavs’ loss to the Knicks.
The Great:
Second Half Garland: Darius Garland scored 21 of his team-high 23 points and seven of his game-high 10 assists in the second half, including 11 points and five assists in the third. After appearing rattled in Game 3, Garland settled in at MSG, and it appeared the Cavs would tie the series at 2, but it didn’t happen.
Third Quarter: Garland and the Cavs woke up in the third. After trailing 54-45 at the break, Cleveland started the third quarter on an 18-7 run to take their first lead of the game at 63-61. Cleveland shot 52% from the field in the third, and they trailed 73-71 at the end of three.
Not So Great:
Rebounding: The Cavs were killed on the glass again. They were outrebounded 47-33 by New York. Mitchell Robinson and former Cav Isaiah Hartenstein had a combined 11 offensive rebounds. The Knicks outscored the Cavs 21-12 in second-chance points.
Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley got outworked by Robinson and Hartenstein.
Donovan Mitchell was off on Sunday, and he was 5/18 from the field and had only 11 points to go along with six turnovers. Cleveland needed Mitchell to be Mitchell, and he wasn’t.
First Half: The Cavs got off to a slow start; the Knicks led by as many as 15 points in the first half. Cleveland was sloppy, as they had nine of their 13 turnovers in the first half, which led to 11 points for the Knicks. New York did not shoot it well in that first half(41%), but they had 11 of their 17 offensive rebounds in the first half.
Fourth Quarter: Cleveland fought back in the game in the third but fell apart in the fourth. The game was tied at 75 with just under 10 minutes to go, and the Knicks went on a 5-0 run to push the lead to 80-75. The Cavs would cut the lead to three, but they could not control Barrett(10 points in the fourth), Brunson(8), and Josh Hart(8). The Knicks led by as many as 11 points in the fourth.
Cleveland shot 42% from the field in the final stanza and was outscored 29-22 by the Knicks in the fourth quarter.
Bottom Line:
The Cavs’ response on Sunday was disappointing. Garland brought in the second half, but Mitchell could have been better. Allen, Mobley, and everybody else got manhandled on the boards, and the Knicks continued to outwork and outhustle the Cavs.
The Knicks’ second-leading scorer, Julius Randle, was awful in Games 3 & 4, but it did not matter because the Cavs could not make shots and did not play good basketball.
Cleveland averaged 86 points in the two games in New York, which included a league-low 79 points on Friday.
In NBA history, teams with a 3-1 series lead have won 95% of the time, so history is working against Cleveland. However, you have to take it one game at a time. If the Cavs can win Game 5 in Cleveland and steal Game 6 at MSG, they would have Game 7 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, so they still have a shot, but a lot is working against them.
End of the day, they have to play better.
Best of the Rest:
Cleveland had six players in double figures on Sunday. Allen and Caris LeVert had 14 points apiece. Mobley had 12, and Cedi Osman had 10 points off the bench.
For the Knicks, Robinson had 12 points and 11 rebounds; Josh Hart added 19 points and seven rebounds.
Cavs succumb to hostile environment at MSG, routed by Knicks in Game 3
The Cleveland Cavaliers went on the road to battle the Knicks in Game 3 of their first-round series on Friday night.
Cleveland routed the Knicks in Game 2 107-90 to tie the series at 1. In Game 3, the MSG crowd fueled the Knicks, and they beat up and routed the Cavs 99-79 at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks led by as many as 27 points in this one.
The Knicks lead the series 2-1. Game 4 is Sunday at MSG.
Here’s the Great, Not So Great, and the Bottom Lime of the Cavs’ loss to the Knicks.
The Great:
The game is over, and that is the only great thing. Evan Mobley had a double-double(10 points and 10 rebounds), and Donovan Mitchell led the way for the Cavs with 22 points, seven rebounds, and five assists, but it didn’t matter.
Not So Great:
Shooting: The Cavs shot 39% from the field and 21% from deep(7/33). They could not make shots; it’s that simple.
Darius Garland was okay in Game 1(17 points and one assist) and was excellent in Game 2(32 points and seven assists), and unfortunately, he was bad in Game 3. Garland was 4/21 from the field, including 1/7 from downtown, to finish with 10 points. He was off on Friday, and playing in his first road playoff game at MSG got the best of him.
First Half: New York was not that great in the first half, but the Cavs were even worse. Cleveland shot 31% in the first half and 2/19 from three-point range. In addition, they had 12 turnovers. Cleveland scored 17 points in the first and only 15 in the second quarter. They were sloppy, they could not make shots, and it showed. The Cavs trailed 45-32 at the break.
Turnovers: Cleveland had 21 turnovers, which led to 28 points for the Knicks. Mitchell was the biggest culprit, with six turnovers. Just sloppy.
Let Brunson loose: In Game 1, Jalen Brunson had 27 points; in Game 2, the Cavs made adjustments, and Brunson had 20 points on 5/17 shooting, but in Game 3, the Knicks made adjustments, and Brunson got loose again as he had 21 points and six assists. He’s the straw that stirs the drink for the Knicks.
Bottom Line:
The Cavs could not handle the hostile environment in Game 3. That was a great environment at MSG. The celebrities were out, the ex-Knicks were out, and the fans were jacked up!
In Game 1, the Cavs played their first playoff game in a long time, and it showed. In Game 2, they settled in and played well. In Game 3, the Cavs played their first road playoff game in a long time, and it showed. Let’s see if they can settle down in Game 4. If they don’t, their season will end in the first round of the playoffs.
Expect a big bounce-back performance from Cleveland in Game 4.
Best of the Rest:
For the Knicks, R.J. Barrett had 19 points and eight rebounds; Josh Hart had 13 points, and Immanuel Quickley had 11 points off the bench.
For the Cavs, Caris LeVert had 17 points.
Cavs became the first team to score less than 80 points in a game this season.
Garland, defense help Cavs rout Knicks in Game 2
After stumbling and losing to the New York Knicks in Game 1 of their first-round series, the Cleveland Cavaliers needed to get a win in Game 2 on Tuesday night, and they did convincingly.
The Cavs led by as many as 29 points and would defeat the Knicks 107-90 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse to even the series up at 1.
Game 3 is Friday night at Madison Square Garden.
Here’s the Great, Not So Great, and the Bottom Line of the Cavs’ win over the Knicks
The Great:
Darius Garland was not at his best in Game 1, but he was at his best in Game 2. Garland scored 26 of his game-high 32 points in the first half to go along with seven assists. He was 6/10 from the field in that first half, including 4/6 from deep. He was on fire! That is the Garland the Cavs know and love.
Donovan Mitchell led the Cavs in points in Game 1, but in Game 2, Mitchell did score 17 points, but he was more of a factor as a distributor. He had a career-high 13 assists; he got Garland and his teammates going.
Caris LeVert gave the Cavs a huge lift off the bench. LeVert got most of the minutes at small forward after Isaac Okoro was benched, and he scored 24 points—great minutes from LeVert.
Evan Mobley was much better in Game 2. He had a double-double with 13 points, 13 rebounds, and two steals; he helped with rim protection as he had two blocks.
Defense: Cleveland had great defensive energy in Game 2. They held the Knicks to 37% shooting, and the Cavs created 18 turnovers, which led to 32 points. They were ferocious on the defensive end and got after the Knicks. Cleveland did a much better job on Brunson and Randle in Game 2, as they were a combined 13/37 from the field.
Second Quarter: Cleveland led 25-22 at the end of the first quarter; the Cavs exploded in the second quarter.
Garland had 15 points in the quarter.
They created nine turnovers, which led to 19 points, and led by as many as 20 points in the quarter. The Cavs outscored New York 34-17 in the second; from there, it was smooth sailing.
Not So Great:
There is nothing to see under this section. Well, the turnovers were high(18), but they overcame it. We could put Okoro(0 points on 0/0 shooting) on this list, but he only played three minutes, so that’s not fair.
Bottom Line:
This was a great effort by the Cavs. They corrected all the mistakes in Game 1. Cleveland outrebounded the Knicks, Garland got off, and they defended well.
As stated numerous times, we knew this would be a long series; we knew this would be a competitive series. Let’s see how Cleveland responds in Game 3 at MSG. The Garden will be a hostile environment.
Side note: Jarrett Allen was called for a flagrant one foul after attempting to block Julius Randle’s dunk attempt late in the game. Was it dirty? No! Was it unnecessary? Probably. The game was out of reach(103-82 with 2:22 left in the game); in reality, both players should not have been the game. That could have been very bad for the Knicks, but Randle, who fell awkwardly, says he’s okay.
Best of the Rest:
For the Knicks, Randle had 22 points and eight rebounds; Brunson added 20 points.
Allen had nine points, 10 rebounds, three steals, and three blocks for the Cavs.
Knicks grab Game 1 in Cleveland
The Cleveland Cavaliers began the postseason at home against the New York Knicks in Game 1 of their first-round series matchup on Saturday. The Cavs are in the postseason for the first time since 2018.
This game was close throughout. After the Cavs took a 93-92 lead with just over two minutes to go in the fourth, New York got some big shot-making from Josh Hart, who made a big three with the shot clock winding down to give the Knicks a 95-93 lead, and Jalen Brunson made a huge step-back jumper and driving layup, and the Knicks would take Game 1 101-97.
New York leads the series 1-0. Game 2 is Tuesday night in Cleveland.
Here’s the Great, Not So Great, and the Bottom Line of the Cavs’ loss to the Knicks.
The Great:
Donovan Mitchell was outstanding in his Cavs playoff debut. Mitchell scored 38 points(the most by a Cavs player in their playoff debut with the team), five rebounds, eight assists, and three steals. He scored 14 points in the fourth and brought Cleveland all the way back from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit, but it wasn’t enough.
Cavs 16-5 run in the Fourth: With 6:34 in the fourth, the Cavs trailed 87-77. Over the next four-plus minutes, Cleveland went on a 16-5 run. Mitchell scored 10 points during that run, and the Cavs took a 93-92, but again, it wasn’t enough.
Cedi Osman finished with only nine points; he had five of those nine points in the fourth and played some solid defense on Brunson; he played most of the fourth quarter for Cleveland, and Osman almost sparked the Cavs to a win.
Not So Great:
Rebounding: The Knicks pounded the Cavs on the glass; they outrebounded the Cavs 51-38 and had 23 second-chance points. They allowed a huge Randle offensive rebound with 06.9 seconds to go, which led to two free throws from Quentin Grimes that put the game away. The Knicks had seven offensive rebounds in the final stanza.
Three-Point Shooting: The Cavs were not that great from downtown, making 10/31 threes(32%).
Bench: The Knicks’ bench outscored Cleveland’s bench 37-14. Caris Levert was 1/7 from the field and finished with just three points.
Bottom Line:
The Knicks jumped on the Cavs early, played with more purpose, and closed the game the right way. Everyone knew this could be a long series, so for New York to win Game 1 is unsurprising. Credit to the Knicks; they pushed the Cavs around in this one and got big plays from Brunson, Randle, and Hart.
Sidenote: Brunson is a lot better than people think. Look at the impact he had on the Knicks this season and the impact he had on the Mavericks in his absence.
In Game 2, Cleveland has to get more from its bench and be better on the glass. In addition, they have to get more from Darius Garland(17 points, one assist, five turnovers) and Evan Mobley(4/13 FG, eight points, and 11 rebounds).
Best of the Rest:
Brunson led the Knicks with 27 points(21 in the second half); Randle had 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Hart added 17 points and 10 boards off the bench.
For the Cavs, Jarrett Allen had 14 points and 14 rebounds.
Cavs are back in playoffs but for how long?
The Cleveland Cavaliers(51-31) are in the playoffs for the first time since 2018 and for the first time without LeBron James since 1998, which is not a surprise after the acquisition of Donovan Mitchell.
Now, they battle the New York Knicks(47-35) in the first round of the playoffs. Game 1 is Saturday in Cleveland.
In the regular season, New York won the season series 3-1, including a win in Cleveland, but that gets thrown out the window. It’s the playoffs.
Cleveland has all the things needed to win this series. They are the number-rated defensive team in basketball and have a go-to elite scorer in Mitchell(28.3 ppg). Don’t forget Darius Garland, a big-time scorer, and distributor(21.6 points & 7.8 assists per contest). In addition, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley are ranked two and three in defensive rating. Plus, they have homecourt advantage, which should help as they have the sixth-best home record(31-10) in the NBA.
While they have been subpar on the road(20-21) this season, Cleveland has two things that do travel, an elite scorer and defense.
For the Knicks, you can’t discount Jalen Brunson(24.0 ppg), who was remarkable in the playoffs for Dallas last season and was big-time this season for the Knicks. However, the uncertainty with Julius Randle’s(25.1 ppg & 10.0 rpg) ankle could be an issue, but he is expected to be ready for Game 1. In addition, New York has been outstanding on the road this season(24-17), including big wins in Memphis, Philly, Denver, and Boston(2x).
Both teams are near the bottom in bench points(Cavs ranked 28, Knicks ranked 26).
We can talk about Mitchell, Garland, Mobley, and Allen for the Cavs and Randle and Brunson for the Knicks, but there will be some unsung heroes in this series. For the Cavs, Caris LeVert(12.1 ppg) could be that guy and has picked up his play late in the season, while for the Knicks, Immanuel Quickley(14.5 ppg) could be the man for New York.
Prediction:
The 4-5 matchup is usually exciting and this will be no different. Plus, Mitchell almost being traded to New York is an interesting subplot.
The Cavs are the slightly better team, and have homecourt advantage, so expect that to be enough for Cleveland to win in 7, but it will be challenging.
NBA announces complete schedule for first round of playoffs
On Wednesday, the NBA announced the complete schedule for the first round of the playoffs, which begin on Saturday.
Below is the schedule:
WESTERN CONFERENCE |
||||||
#1 Denver vs. West 8th Seed |
||||||
DAY |
DATE |
AWAY |
HOME |
GM |
ET |
TV / R |
Sun |
4/16 |
West 8th |
Denver |
1 |
10:30PM |
TNT |
Wed |
4/19 |
West 8th |
Denver |
2 |
10:00PM |
TNT |
Fri |
4/21 |
Denver |
West 8th |
3 |
9:30PM |
ESPN |
Sun |
4/23 |
Denver |
West 8th |
4 |
9:30PM |
TNT |
Tue |
4/25 |
West 8th |
Denver |
5* |
TBD |
TBD |
Thu |
4/27 |
Denver |
West 8th |
6* |
TBD |
TBD |
Sat |
4/29 |
West 8th |
Denver |
7* |
TBD |
TNT |
#2 Memphis vs. #7 L.A. Lakers |
||||||
DAY |
DATE |
AWAY |
HOME |
GM |
ET |
TV / R |
Sun |
4/16 |
L.A. Lakers |
Memphis |
1 |
3:00PM |
ABC/R |
Wed |
4/19 |
L.A. Lakers |
Memphis |
2 |
7:30PM |
TNT/R |
Sat |
4/22 |
Memphis |
L.A. Lakers |
3 |
10:00PM |
ESPN |
Mon |
4/24 |
Memphis |
L.A. Lakers |
4 |
TBD |
TBD |
Wed |
4/26 |
L.A. Lakers |
Memphis |
5* |
TBD |
TBD |
Fri |
4/28 |
Memphis |
L.A. Lakers |
6* |
TBD |
TBD |
Sun |
4/30 |
L.A. Lakers |
Memphis |
7* |
TBD |
TBD |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
#3 Sacramento vs. #6 Golden State |
||||||
DAY |
DATE |
AWAY |
HOME |
GM |
ET |
TV / R |
Sat |
4/15 |
Golden State |
Sacramento |
1 |
8:30PM |
ABC |
Mon |
4/17 |
Golden State |
Sacramento |
2 |
10:00PM |
TNT |
Thu |
4/20 |
Sacramento |
Golden State |
3 |
10:00PM |
TNT |
Sun |
4/23 |
Sacramento |
Golden State |
4 |
3:30PM |
ABC/R |
Wed |
4/26 |
Golden State |
Sacramento |
5* |
TBD |
TBD |
Fri |
4/28 |
Sacramento |
Golden State |
6* |
TBD |
TBD |
Sun |
4/30 |
Golden State |
Sacramento |
7* |
TBD |
TBD |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
#4 Phoenix vs. #5 LA Clippers |
||||||
DAY |
DATE |
AWAY |
HOME |
GM |
ET |
TV / R |
Sun |
4/16 |
LA Clippers |
Phoenix |
1 |
8:00PM |
TNT |
Tue |
4/18 |
LA Clippers |
Phoenix |
2 |
10:00PM |
TNT |
Thu |
4/20 |
Phoenix |
LA Clippers |
3 |
10:30PM |
NBATV |
Sat |
4/22 |
Phoenix |
LA Clippers |
4 |
3:30PM |
TNT |
Tue |
4/25 |
LA Clippers |
Phoenix |
5* |
TBD |
TBD |
Thu |
4/27 |
Phoenix |
LA Clippers |
6* |
TBD |
TBD |
Sat |
4/29 |
LA Clippers |
Phoenix |
7* |
TBD |
TNT |
EASTERN CONFERENCE |
||||||
#1 Milwaukee vs. East 8th Seed |
||||||
DAY |
DATE |
AWAY |
HOME |
GM |
ET |
TV / R |
Sun |
4/16 |
East 8th |
Milwaukee |
1 |
5:30PM |
TNT |
Wed |
4/19 |
East 8th |
Milwaukee |
2 |
9:00PM |
NBATV |
Sat |
4/22 |
Milwaukee |
East 8th |
3 |
7:30PM |
ESPN/R |
Mon |
4/24 |
Milwaukee |
East 8th |
4 |
TBD |
TBD |
Wed |
4/26 |
East 8th |
Milwaukee |
5* |
TBD |
TBD |
Fri |
4/28 |
Milwaukee |
East 8th |
6* |
TBD |
TBD |
Sun |
4/30 |
East 8th |
Milwaukee |
7* |
TBD |
TBD |
#2 Boston vs. #7 Atlanta |
||||||
DAY |
DATE |
AWAY |
HOME |
GM |
ET |
TV / R |
Sat |
4/15 |
Atlanta |
Boston |
1 |
3:30PM |
ESPN |
Tue |
4/18 |
Atlanta |
Boston |
2 |
7:00PM |
NBATV |
Fri |
4/21 |
Boston |
Atlanta |
3 |
7:00PM |
ESPN |
Sun |
4/23 |
Boston |
Atlanta |
4 |
7:00PM |
TNT |
Tue |
4/25 |
Atlanta |
Boston |
5* |
TBD |
TBD |
Thu |
4/27 |
Boston |
Atlanta |
6* |
TBD |
TBD |
Sat |
4/29 |
Atlanta |
Boston |
7* |
TBD |
TNT |
#3 Philadelphia vs. #6 Brooklyn |
||||||
DAY |
DATE |
AWAY |
HOME |
GM |
ET |
TV / R |
Sat |
4/15 |
Brooklyn |
Philadelphia |
1 |
1:00PM |
ESPN |
Mon |
4/17 |
Brooklyn |
Philadelphia |
2 |
7:30PM |
TNT |
Thu |
4/20 |
Philadelphia |
Brooklyn |
3 |
7:30PM |
TNT/R |
Sat |
4/22 |
Philadelphia |
Brooklyn |
4 |
1:00PM |
TNT |
Mon |
4/24 |
Brooklyn |
Philadelphia |
5 |
TBD |
TBD |
Thu |
4/27 |
Philadelphia |
Brooklyn |
6 |
TBD |
TBD |
Sat |
4/29 |
Brooklyn |
Philadelphia |
7 |
TBD |
TNT |
#4 Cleveland vs. #5 New York |
||||||
DAY |
DATE |
AWAY |
HOME |
GM |
ET |
TV / R |
Sat |
4/15 |
New York |
Cleveland |
1 |
6:00PM |
ESPN/R |
Tue |
4/18 |
New York |
Cleveland |
2 |
7:30PM |
TNT |
Fri |
4/21 |
Cleveland |
New York |
3 |
8:30PM |
ABC/R |
Sun |
4/23 |
Cleveland |
New York |
4 |
1:00PM |
ABC |
Wed |
4/26 |
New York |
Cleveland |
5* |
TBD |
TBD |
Fri |
4/28 |
Cleveland |
New York |
6* |
TBD |
TBD |
Sun |
4/30 |
New York |
Cleveland |
7* |
TBD |
TBD |