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The Cleveland Cavaliers are back in the hole, facing an 0-2 deficit for the second straight round. They host the New York Knicks on Saturday for Game 3.
Let’s go over today’s losers.
LOSER – Ignoring Josh Hart
The Cavs haven’t made it a secret that they’re ignoring Josh Hart on the perimeter. They’ve had Jarrett Allen guard (or not guard him), cheating way into the paint and allowing Hart to fire away as often as he wants.
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This strategy worked for the Cavs in the previous rounds. They found success ignoring Detroit’s Ausaur Thompson in the same way. The only problem is, Hart is a far better shooter than anyone the Cavs have given this treatment to in the past.
Hart shot 41.3% from downtown this season. Granted, his attempts are some of the highest quality in the league as teams are content with daring him to shoot. Still, it’s hard to hit more than 40% of your three-pointers. For comparison, Thompson shot just 25% from deep this year.
Cleveland won their bet in Game 1. Hart shot 1-5 from the three-point line and wasn’t able to make them pay. But this is playing with fire. And Hart found his stride by hitting 5-of-11 three-pointers in Game 2. The Cavs continued to leave him open even after his third triple sank. It was maddening to watch Hart nail two more triples without facing any defensive pressure.
Kenny Atkinson is a process-oriented coach. He has a plan and stick to it, regardless of the results. That can lead him to sticking through some painful stretches of basketball, whereas other coaches migth be quicker to read the moment and adjust.
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The Cavs could have used an adjustment tonight.
LOSER – Sam Merrill
I speak for everyone when I say I wondered how losing Game 1 would impact the Cavs tonight. What I didn’t expect, however, was for Sam Merrill to be the one seemingly most effected,
Merrill had a great opportunity to win the game at the end of regulation in Game 1. He took a shot he’s nailed hundreds of times before, watching it hit every part of the rim and bounce out. I can’t say for certain, but it looked like missing that shot messed with Merrill’s focus…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/winners-losers-cavs-vs-knicks-024613819.html
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Publish date : 2026-05-22 02:46:00
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