It was another terrible night for the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday. The Cavaliers fell to the New York Knicks 115-104 in overtime and were heavily outplayed.
After an impressive series win against the Detroit Pistons, the hope was that it would help the Cavaliers get things back on track. However, this loss to the Knicks has certainly lowered optimism surrounding the team again.
This was a bigger choke job because the Cavaliers were in control of the game for most of the time, leading by as many as 22 points, until the fourth quarter, when they were outscored 44-11 by Jalen Brunson and company, ultimately losing in overtime in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
However, this isn’t a surprise, as the Cavaliers are one of the weaker road teams among all playoff teams. But even though they’ve closed out the series with two road wins, their failure to close out games has been apparent more than ever.
One of the most notable takeaways from the game was James Harden’s disastrous fourth quarter. The 36-year-old once again had more turnovers (6) than field goals (5), finishing the game with 15 points on 5-for-16 shooting, including 1-for-8 from deep, along with four rebounds and three assists.
Harden was also non-existent in the fourth quarter and overtime, finishing with 1-for-7 shooting, two turnovers, one steal, and one block.
Following the game, Knicks fan Stephen A. Smith couldn’t help but take aim at Harden’s struggles. Speaking on ESPN’s SportsCenter, Smith called out the veteran guard:
“Jalen Brunson goes ballistic and literally should be arrested for the assault that he put on James Harden,” Smith said. “Just abused him at every single turn, annihilated him, kept going by him, scored like five or six straight baskets.”
It was complete and utter domination by Brunson and the Knicks, but at one point of the game, the Cavaliers were leading by as many as 22 points.
Brunson, who clearly showed that you don’t need to play 48 minutes to win the game, had a strong closing stretch. The Knicks superstar was deliberately targeting Harden on defense and went 7-of-11 against him. New York punished him down the stretch with elite efficiency in those matchups.
He finished with a team-high 38 points, with 17 of those coming in the fourth quarter and overtime.
Game 1 was the Knicks’ one of many comeback wins this season, and the 22-point rally was one of the largest fourth-quarter comebacks in the playoffs during the play-by-play era. The Cavaliers will now look to redeem themselves against the Knicks in Game 2 on Thursday.
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