Cavs on brink of elimination after dropping Game 3 121-108 to Knicks

CLEVELAND — The gap between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the New York Knicks couldn’t be wider, and I’m not sure it’s a talent issue.

The Knicks are a well-coached team that has a firm grip on what they want to do on both sides of the ball. Their spacing and offensive principles are on point. Even when shots aren’t going in, they continue to play how you’d expect a conference finalist to.

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Meanwhile, the Cavs looked like the team they are — one that was scrounged together at the trade deadline in hopes of making the most out of what looked like it could be a lost year. They don’t know what their strengths are, or if they do, they don’t play to them.

The Cavs deployed mostly the same game plan that worked in Game 1, but failed them in Game 2. They cheated too far off Josh Hart, offered switches to Brunson too easily, and weren’t able to target him on the other end.

The shooting would’ve offset a lot of these issues, but make no mistake, New York was the better team once again.

“They were the most physical team,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said afterward. “They were the much better team.”

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This all added up to a humiliating 121-108 loss in Game 3 in a game they never led. The Cavs are now down 3-0, on the brink of elimination.

The Knicks let us know early what kind of game it would be. They jumped out to a 9-1 lead. They were the aggressor once again, as has been the case since midway through the fourth quarter of Game 1. This allowed them to have a 10-point lead after Game 1.

The Cavs fought back to tie the game at 50 with five minutes left in the half, but a strong close to the quarter allowed the Knicks to create more separation, as they took a six-point advantage into the third.

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New York flexed its muscle in the third. They put their foot on the gas by consistently turning defense into offense. They pushed the lead to 13 before taking a seven-point lead…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/cavs-brink-elimination-dropping-game-025452058.html

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Publish date : 2026-05-24 02:54:00

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