One Play That Changed Everything for Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 2

If the Cleveland Cavaliers’ loss to the New York Knicks in Game 1 was a heartbreaker, then the defeat in Game 2 was a straight horror flick.

For the second straight series, the Cavs find themselves in a 0-2 slump heading back to Cleveland, where their home record is good, with just one loss in seven. But the stakes are higher than ever heading into Saturday’s crunch third chapter.

But after falling apart down the stretch in the first game, dropping a 22-point cushion to lose in overtime, what changed the landscape for the Cavaliers on Thursday?

The one play that spelt doom for Cleveland

It would be easy to say that the Cavaliers’ third-quarter meltdown practically gifted the Knicks the win, but the problems started way before that.

In the opening 12 minutes, the game was fairly even, with the Cavs finding their shooting spots. In particular, they were inspired by Evan Mobley’s positive start. He went 4-for-6 from the field and bagged 10 points. Similarly, Jarrett Allen raced to six points and six rebounds in an efficient start that gave the Cavs a 27-24 lead after one.

Then, Cleveland suddenly stopped going to their frontcourt and polluted their offense with three-pointers, going 1-for-11, whereas New York, who struggled to contain Mobley and Allen, attacked the basket for their points.

Sure, the Knicks struggled from deep themselves, going 4-for-13 in the second, but they found luck scoring inside and slowly built a lead while Mobley and Allen’s production stalled, going a combined 2-for-3.

Strus and Merrill struggled while Josh Hart feasted

Meanwhile, Max Strus missed all four of his field goal attempts, Sam Merill missed all three of his three-point attempts, and James Harden went 3-for-6 but barely distributed, nor did he involve the frontcourt that had done the damage earlier.

The Knicks had a game plan at the break, and it was to unleash Josh Hart on their backcourt. Harden isn’t the most prominent defender, and Donovan Mitchell looked visibly shaken throughout, almost as if he were carrying an injury, which was denied by coach Kenny Atkinson postgame.

Hart ambushed the Cavs for 12 points in a one-sided third quarter that sealed their fate.

Cleveland would end on a woeful 38% when the final buzzer sounded, and Mobley added just four more points to his total on two field goal attempts.

Allen fared slightly better, but again, only added 13 points on 5-for-10 shooting. Which wasn’t enough, especially when they were so bright in the first quarter.

Simply put: The Cavs need to do a better job when it comes to getting their big men involved.

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