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Games can be won and lost in short spurts.
The Cleveland Cavaliers found that out the hard way once again as they dropped Game 2 109-93 to the New York Knicks.
After blowing a 22-point lead in an eight-minute meltdown in Game 1, it was 18 unanswered points in the middle of the third quarter that cost them Game 2. Both were fueled by poor offensive execution.
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Now, the Cavs are in a 0-2 hole for the second consecutive series.
The offense once again abandoned them in a critical part of the game. They went scoreless in a five-and-a-half-minute stretch in the third quarter when the game was decided.
That simply can’t happen in the postseason, against an opponent that is this good offensively.
The outside shot deserves a lot of blame here.
The Knicks have been willing to give up three-point looks all season if it means they can secure the paint. That’s why they ranked 29th in opponent three-point frequency all season. That showed through once again.
New York was willing to concede open attempts from three if, in doing so, they were preventing a look inside the arc. That’s how Sam Merrill was able to generate seven three-point looks in 23 minutes. And if you look at the shots below, all but the last attempt were quality looks.
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The issue was that none of them went down.
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The same is true for Cleveland’s other shooters. Max Strus went 1-4, Donovan Mitchell went 2-7, and Jaylon Tyson went 0-3. When four of your best shooters combine to go 3-21, there’s not a whole lot you can do to overcome that.
“We didn’t shoot the ball well,” Kenny Atkinson said afterward. “I thought our process was right. … At the end of the day, you have to put the ball in the hole.”
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Playoff basketball is about making the most of what your opponent gives you. The Knicks are content with giving up the three-ball. And this was the second-straight game the Cavs shot far below their season-long average…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/10-takeaways-cavs-109-93-100000764.html
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Publish date : 2026-05-22 10:00:00
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