Cavs fail to match playoff moment, can’t complete comeback in 101-97 Game 1 loss to New York Knicks

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The rally towels spun around the deafening arena. The fans, dressed mostly in white to match the night’s theme, rose to their feet. Cleveland waited five long years for Saturday night — the first playoff game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse since 2018 — and nearly pushed the Cavs to another gutsy comeback in the final minutes. The crowd did its part.

The Cavs did not.

Fourth-seeded Cleveland got a rude welcome back to the postseason, losing Game 1 of its first-round playoff series against the fifth-seeded New York Knicks, 101-97.

It could have been inexperience. Perhaps early-game jitters. Maybe a needed feeling-out process. But the Cavs were unable to match the moment early, getting off to a slow start and looking surprised by New York’s playoff-level physicality. The young group eventually settled in, responding with a spirited 9-0 surge and then battled until the final buzzer, nearly adding another double-digit comeback to their league-leading resume.

But this isn’t the regular season anymore. It’s the playoffs. Consider it the latest harsh teaching moment.

“Our guys are learning,” Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said following the loss. “We play a ton of guys a ton of minutes who are learning what playoff basketball is about. We’ve talked about it. You have to experience it to understand it. This was a lesson. We experienced it and we’ve got to bounce back from it and correct the things we can correct, which I think there was a lot of.”

Even though Jarrett Allen’s putback at the 2:12 mark of the fourth quarter created bedlam inside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and gave Cleveland its first lead of the second half — and first since it was 18-16 in the first quarter — New York stayed calm and ripped off the next five points. That response started with a ruthless top of the key 3-pointer from Josh Hart who was hobbling on one leg after a nasty he fall he took moments earlier. Then came a clutch pull-up mid-range jumper from playoff-tested Jalen Brunson that put the Knicks back in front by four.

The Cavs were never able to reclaim the lead, only getting as close as two, as Brunson — frustrated by first-half foul trouble — repeatedly came through and got the best of Cavs star Donovan Mitchell once again.

Brunson’s Mavericks eliminated Mitchell’s Jazz in last year’s first round — a series that led to Utah dismantling its roster and eventually sending Mitchell to Cleveland.

That budding rivalry between All-Star caliber guards was renewed Saturday night.

Mitchell poured in a game-high 38 points on 14 of 30 from the field and 6 of 16 from 3-point range. He scored 14 of those points during Cleveland’s fourth-quarter rally, repeatedly roaring and trying to put the Cavs on his muscular shoulders — again.

Darius Garland, making his playoff debut, chipped in with 17 points. Second-year forward Evan Mobley added eight points and 11 rebounds. Allen finished with 14 points, 14 boards and four assists.

The Knicks were led by Brunson, who scored 27 points in 29 minutes. After being limited to just six points on nine minutes in the first half, Brunson bounced back with 21 points in a stellar second half.

Julius Randle, who missed the final weeks of the regular season because of a sprained ankle, ended the night with 19 points and 10 rebounds, including a back-breaking offensive board in the final seconds that gave New York another possession and two clinching free throws from Quentin Grimes. The first freebie spun all around the rim and thought about popping out before dropping through. The second was all net.

In a game that featured just six lead changes and eight ties, the Cavs trailed for 41 minutes.

The Knicks, ranked third in the NBA in offensive rebounding, pulled down 17 offensive boards and had 23 second-chance points. They were tougher and more physical.

“That was the game right there,” Cedi Osman said. “We’ve got to learn from this game and come back strong for Game 2. But it’s definitely a tough loss. We’ve got to keep our heads up because it’s a long series and we’re going to play better.”

The Cavs worked all season for home-court advantage, believing it could be a difference-maker in this series. It took less than three hours for the scrappy, tough-minded Knicks to rip it away.

Welcome back to the postseason. Good thing for Cleveland it’s the first to four wins.

“This isn’t the end of the world,” Mitchell said. “It’s more people watching so you can lose one game at home and they can feel like the end of the world if you allow it. They came in there and took one from us, we’ve got to go get one right back. There’s no room to sit here and feel sorry or feel upset and get down. It’s one game. We will respond.”

Up next

The Cavs will host the Knicks in Game 2 Tuesday night. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

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