2 Key Adjustments Cavaliers Need To Make After 22-Point Choke Job in Game 1

It’s just one game.

That was the main takeaway from the Cleveland Cavaliers players after their catastrophic 115-104 defeat to the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. It might have been just one game, but this was a big loss for Cleveland, as they squandered a 22-point lead, scoring only 11 points in the final 13 minutes. They are adamant that they will move on to Game 2, which takes place in 48 hours’ time.

"Obviously, this is a tough one," said James Harden. "But we've had opportunities to close teams out at home, we didn't do it. So, we're literally figuring everything out on the fly, which is a good thing. And tonight was one of the feelings when it's a bad thing. But we'll watch film, get better, and we've been really good at responding and coming back and bouncing back. So it's no different."

So what do the Cavs need to do differently and adjust ahead of Game 2?

Don’t change the flow of the game

The Cavs can look to the film to see a plethora of positives moving forward, such as their defense on Karl-Anthony Towns, putting Evan Mobley on Josh Hart and their big men making an impact inside.

But when they enjoyed a sizeable lead and looked good value for their advantage, the Cavs just collapsed. They managed just 11 points over the final 13 minutes of regulation and overtime. Their process disappeared down the stretch, choosing to drain the clock rather than attack openings as they appeared.

Basketball is built on rhythm. Once you slow yourself down to play for time, you disrupt the flow that fuels good offense. And when the moment comes to ramp things back up - like it did for Cleveland in overtime - it’s difficult to rediscover that rhythm. They sat on the lead and wanted to hold it until the final buzzer. It failed.

“This can happen when you get a little fatigued,” Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson mentioned.

“I think [the ball] just stopped moving. We were pinging the ball all over the place, great ball movement, and it just got a little stagnant.”

Mitchell and Harden need to get the frontcourt into the game

When the game was down to the wire late, Harden and Donovan Mitchell failed to get the big men involved, and, for Harden especially, as he has done almost exclusively throughout the playoffs, he dribbled the ball into boredom.

It made the Knicks settle into a defensive set easily and swamp the paint, rendering the Cavs’ frontcourt almost useless.

Mitchell's lack of aggressiveness again became a postgame question. He only took four shots in the fourth quarter, and he wasn’t a factor. For your superstar, that can’t happen again.

Afterward, Mitchell remained defiant.

"I said it in the locker room — just that, we lost," Mitchell said. "We F****** blew it. All right, let's respond for Game 2. Simple as that."

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