Just when you think the Cleveland Cavaliers have finally put things together, they find a new way to disappoint you.
After pushing their lead to 22 points at the start of the fourth quarter, they collapsed over the final eight minutes, as they allowed the New York Knicks to close the fourth on a 30-8 run to send the game to overtime.
The Cavs’ free fall continued in the extra frames. The Knicks dominated overtime 14-3 to come away with what somehow became a 115-104 victory in Game 1.
Like their Christmas Day showcase, starting and finishing games in Madison Square Garden was an issue.
Cleveland couldn’t establish any kind of offensive rhythm after opening up an early 10-4 lead after the first four minutes. They scored just six points for the remainder of the quarter, as they went 2-12 from beyond the arc in the opening frame.
Fortunately for them, the Knicks looked like a team that hadn’t played a game in over a week. They went 1-10 from three, but were able to scrounge together enough offense to take a seven-point lead after the first.
New York pushed the margin to 11 early in the second quarter before the Cavs finally woke up.
Cleveland stormed back in the second quarter thanks to the play of their star guards. James Harden settled the momentum as he scored five points and had two helpers in the second. Donovan Mitchell caught fire, scoring seven points in the final two minutes of the half.
This fueled a 21-8 run, allowing the Cavs to take a slim two-point lead into the break.
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Cleveland hit the accelerator in the third.
Evan Mobley, who wasn’t able to get much going in the first half, got rolling in the third quarter. He took over defensively, deterring shots at the rim and grabbing misses on the glass. This was in addition to consistently beating mismatches on the other end. He had seven points in the third to help Cleveland extend their lead.
Mitchell continued his impressive play in the third. He had 10 points and three steals to keep the momentum going, as he led Cleveland to a 35-point quarter. This gave them a 14-point advantage heading into the fourth.
Cleveland extended their lead to 22 before the Knicks started to fight back.
New York showed why they’re heavily favored in this series. They completely controlled the final seven minutes of the fourth with a 30-8 run
Jalen Brunson, who was held in check for most of the game, came alive. He scored 15 points in the quarter. This forced the Cavs to start sending double teams his way, which allowed New York’s outside shooters to get going.
The Knicks went 5-7 from three in the fourth. This included two huge triples from both Mikal Bridges and Landry Shamet.
The Cavs had a chance to tie the game on their final possession. Sam Merrill got a clean look from three, the ball went halfway down, but popped out.
The Knicks dominated overtime. They controlled every aspect of the extra frame, as they were able to cruise to a comfortable win.
Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson made several questionable decisions down the stretch.
First, he didn’t use his timeouts when the Knicks were going on their run. He waited until it ballooned to 18-1 before deciding to use one. Then, he allowed Brunson to target Harden late in the game instead of subbing him out in situations that he could. And finally, his solution to this was trapping Brunson late, which led to wide-open shooters elsewhere.
Mitchell led the Cavs in scoring. He finished with 29 points on 12-23 shooting to go along with six steals.
Mobley and Harden both had 15 points.
Brunson led all scorers with 38 points on 15-29 shooting with six assists. Bridges contributed 18 points.
Resiliency and an ability to bounce back from terrible collapses have separated this group from previous Cavs playoff teams. They’ve responded well after disastrous Game 6 performances in both series to win Game 7. They also climbed back from a 2-0 hole against the one-seed in the last series.
We know they get back up, but this was a golden opportunity to assert control of this series. They had a chance to steal home court here and make Game 2 a near must-win for the Knicks. Now, they have to pick themselves off the mat and see if they can head back to Cleveland with the series tied at one.
Game 2 is back in Madison Square Garden on Thursday. Tip-off is at 8 PM.
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