Donovan Mitchell, Cavs fall into perilous 3-0 hole as Knicks keeping rolling on road in East finals

CLEVELAND (AP) — Donovan Mitchell has lacked his customary explosiveness and not looked like himself through three games of the Eastern Conference finals. Something seems off with the All-Star guard.

Same for the Cavaliers.

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They may soon have time to heal. Like all summer.

Cleveland is on the brink of elimination.

The Cavs couldn’t match New York’s force, firepower or balance despite being on their home floor and lost Game 3 to the Knicks 121-108 on Saturday night to fall into a perilous postseason hole in the best-of-seven series.

No team in NBA history has ever come back from an 0-3 deficit, and the Cavs aren’t showing signs of becoming the first in 164 tries.

Mitchell did what he could, scoring 23 points. But he didn’t have his burst and committed five of his team’s 18 turnovers as the Cavs couldn’t contain the Knicks, who were cheered on a by a raucous group of New York fans that invaded Rocket Arena.

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Following the game, Mitchell sat in a chair behind the table before his media interview and stared blankly at a box score underscoring New York’s dominance.

Asked what it’s going to take to avoid a sweep and win Game 4 on Monday night, Mitchell was succinct.

“Let’s start with making some shots,” he said. “Let’s start with getting some stops and making some free throws.”

Mitchell’s first trip to a conference final after so many second-round exits hasn’t gone as hoped. The Cavs, who were pushed to seven games by Toronto and Detroit earlier in the playoffs, blew a 22-point lead in the fourth quarter and lost Game 1 at Madison Square Garden.

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They battled for much of Game 2 before fading and are now dragging physically after weeks of playing every other day. The Knicks, who had time to rest after sweeping Philadelphia in the second round, are taking advantage of Cleveland’s heavy legs.

“We did it to ourselves,” Mitchell said. “We can’t be mad now.”

Just as in the first two games, New York was the more aggressive team in the early going, jumping to a 9-1 lead in the opening two minutes and forcing Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson to call a timeout. The Cavs regrouped, but their…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/donovan-mitchell-cavs-fall-perilous-045148527.html

Author : TOM WITHERS

Publish date : 2026-05-24 04:51:00

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