Where do I begin with this one? There aren't many words that adequately express how angry I am right now as a fan. And the ones that are adequate are not family friendly. I just know this is the angriest I have been watching a Cavaliers game in a very long time. I can handle losing close games when our guys fight hard and truly give everything they have. I can also handle when a gameplan just doesn't work even when the Cavs have tried absolutely everything, and it's just not their night.
But what I cannot, and will absolutely never accept, is playing timid, settling for three balls when they're not consistently falling, and shoddy defense. Few things make me angrier than seeing a team willfully abandon a game plan that worked to perfection the previous game, and allow themselves to be bullied all night long. And that's exactly what the Cavaliers did tonight.
I wasn't around during the darkest days of Cavalier basketball. That was during the early 1980's. A man named Ted Stepien was the team's owner from 1981-1983. And his teams were so bad, that they were nicknamed the "Cleveland Cadavers" by the local media and fans. The 2023 Cavaliers did their best "Cleveland Cadavers" impression tonight. I have never seen a team look more lifeless than these guys did tonight. Yikes. I would have had more fun getting a tooth yanked without anesthesia than watch another game like this ever again. Just awful. How awful? Let's take a look at the Keys to Victory.
Darius Garland needs to continue his momentum
Well that was fun while it lasted, wasn't it? Three nights after exploding for 32 points, the Darius Garland we hoped to see for the rest of this series disappeared, and an imposter took his place. He only went 4-21 for 10 points.
He reverted back to his Game 1 self, but was far, far worse. He just was playing timid. He had zero confidence in himself, and went an absolutely putrid 1-7 from long range. I know he was feeling it Tuesday night in Cleveland. But don't you think once he realized that the outside shots weren't falling, that he'd try to mix it up? But Garland wasn't the only one doing it. This whole team seemed to just be jacking up threes and hoping that would work (don't worry, I'll tear into the rest of them in just a bit).
But I do not understand at all what happened to Darius Garland. And he'd better do some serious soul searching between now and Sunday afternoon. He can't have another game like this for a very long time. Not if he wants to be playing games beyond the first round.
Stay Physical
Okay. Now comes the fun part. I get to release all the anger that was building up inside me and stewing just below the surface during this game. Mount Luke is set to erupt in 3... 2... 1...
WHAT ON EARTH WAS THAT?!? THAT WAS ONE OF THE SOFTEST AND MOST PATHETIC SHOWINGS I'VE EVER SEEN FROM A BASKETBALL TEAM! THEY WERE SOFTER THAN THE STAY PUFT MARSHMALLOW MAN FROM GHOSTBUSTERS! FOR CRYIN' OUT LOUD! WHAT IN THE WORLD WAS WRONG WITH THEM TONIGHT?!
Phew. Breathe, Luke. Inhale. Count to four. Exhale. Okay, I'm good, folks. Moving on.
It's almost like the Cavaliers were willingly avoiding being physical with the Knicks. They seemed to flat out refuse to operate in the paint. Instead, they chose to jack up three. After three. After three. After three. After three. After three...
Their final three-point shooting stat line? 7-33 for just over 21 percent. At one point they were 2-18. Did it ever occur to them that if they started going ice cold from long range, to dump the ball down in the paint? It was absolutely infuriating seeing this part of the game play out like it did.
They have the tools and size to go down low with Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, and pound on the Knicks bigs in the paint. But apparently they got amnesia and completely forgot what worked in Game 2. Or they simply chose not to do so. Whoever made the call to avoid getting physical with New York in the paint needs reprimanded at the very least. If it was Bickerstaff, Koby Altman and Mike Gansey, the Cavaliers GM, need to pay him a visit and have a "come to Jesus" talk with him as soon as the team arrives home in Cleveland. If it was any one of the players, Bickerstaff and the other coaches need to have them work on low post drills tomorrow. Maybe if they're a little sore after practicing their game in the paint, they'll get the point drilled through their thick skulls by Sunday afternoon? Whatever the case, the Cavaliers went away from their identity, and I'm not at all surprised by the results.
Expect adjustments from New York and be prepared to counter them
Judging by the Cavs' refusal to mix things up once it was clear that the three-pointers were never going to consistently fall tonight, that told me all I needed to know about how JB Bickerstaff chose to handle this game.
He made zero adjustments tonight when things weren't going the way he was hoping they would. Zero. Zilch. Nada. None.
I'm not taking anything away from New York or Tom Thibodeau. They clearly outplayed the Cavaliers in every aspect of the game and absolutely deserved this win. But Thibodeau really didn't have to make many adjustments. When the Cavaliers go 7-33 from deep, and that set the tone for their entire night, why would he or the Knicks have to make any major adjustments? And he certainly didn't have to play any mental chess match with JB Bickerstaff. Thibodeau was playing chess all night, while JB was content to play checkers. Thibodeaux is a veteran NBA coach and it showed tonight in the personality of his team at home. JB and the Cavaliers? They were "Lost in New York" just like Kevin McAllister was at Christmastime.
I don't know where these guys go from here. You cannot play like they did tonight and expect to win big games, let alone a series. You can't jack up threes like they did, turn the ball over 21 times, play timid and scared, and still expect to win. Game 4 is a must have. The Cavaliers need a W desperately on Sunday afternoon. It's do or die. Going down 3-1 heading home to Cleveland is a desperate place to be. And the Cavs are staring that very real possibility squarely in its ugly, hideous face.
I need to use tonight to get some good rest, and I need to use Saturday to cool off as much as I can. And I suggest you all do the same. It's tough being a diehard Cleveland fan most of the time. But this was one of the more demoralizing losses I can remember. And I know we've all seen some doozies!
Get some good rest, folks. Breathe deep, and take it easy.
Stat Leaders
Donovan Mitchell, 9-19, 22 points
Caris LeVert, 7-17, 17 points
Evan Mobley, 5-10, 10 points, 10 rebounds
Source: ESPN
Picture Credit: ESPN
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