Remember Cavs fans, it’s only one game. But yes, a discouraging game – Terry Pluto
Cavs #Cavs
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Repeat after me, Cavs fans: “It’s only one game.”
That’s right, one game in the best-of-seven first-round series vs. the New York Knicks.
Yes, one game as the Knicks beat the Cavs, 101-97, Saturday night.
The discouraging part was how the Cavs were hammered 51-38 on the boards.
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Want more? New York outscored the Cavs 23-12 on second-chance points.
That hurts for a team that was ranked No. 1 in defense this season.
Seven-footers Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley combined for 25 rebounds, but the rest of the team had only 13. Unless the Cavs make a team commitment to rebounding, this could be a very short series.
More problems?
The Cavs’ bench has been a belly-ache all season. It was more of the same. New York’s Josh Hart outscored the entire Cavs bench, 17-14.
When Dean Wade and Caris LeVert were on the court, the Cavs were outscored by 14 points. Yikes! LeVert shot 1 of 7 with one rebound in 18 sometimes frantic, self-destructive minutes. Only Cedi Osman (nine points, 19 minutes) gave the Cavs any relief.
A GREAT ATMOSPHERE
The Cavs are in the playoffs for the first time in five years.
It was fans stomping, standing, screaming. It was fans wearing white Cavs T-shirts, waving white towels. It was fans singing along with “Cleveland Rocks … Cleveland Rocks.”
As the Cavs took the court, fans began chanting “Let’s … Go … Cavs! Let’s … Go … Cavs!”
Playoffs.
The 52nd sellout in a row, dating back to the final 11 games of the 2021-22 season.
All night, Cavs fan cheered and pleaded and prayed and begged their team to make the big plays needed to turn the game in Cleveland’s favor.
The fans did their part.
All night, they chanted “Dee-Fence… Dee-Fence!”
All night, they were ruthless howling at the officials when calls went against their team.
What a wonderful, wild, outpouring of support for the Cavs.
But the team wasn’t quite ready in terms of matching New York’s intensity.
IT’S STILL ONLY ONE GAME
Donovan Mitchell was relentless. He played 44 minutes, scoring 38 points. He took 30 shots, but really didn’t dominate the ball. At times, it seemed no one other than Darius Garland (17 points, 7 of 13 shooting) had confidence to take important shots.
The Cavs tried to get the ball inside to Mobley. He was 4 of 13 from the field. He simply went up soft, taking too many awkward one-handers when he was off-balanced.
Allen was 6 of 8 shooting, and probably could have scored more than 14 if the Cavs had run more plays for him.
Some will mention how New York kept leaving Isaac Okoro open in the corner for 3-point shots. Playing for the first time in three weeks because of knee problems, Okoro kept shooting those open 3-pointers … and missing.
The fact that the New York defense was ignoring Okoro is no surprise. Opposing teams have done it all year. But something else to consider: Just because you’re open doesn’t mean you have to shoot it.
Okoro was 0 of 4 from the 3-point line. The Cavs as a team were 10 of 31. They had very little rhythm on offense, and couldn’t quite deliver the big defensive plays when needed.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Here’s a little context …
Garland mentioned this earlier in the week when being advised by playoff veterans: “They said when you get the first win or you get a win, it feels like the best thing ever. Then when you lose, it’s like the worst thing ever. So I mean it’s going to be a rollercoaster, but you just have to keep your head.”
That’s how it feels when your team loses the playoff opener on its home court.
For Cavs fans who like stats, they won’t like this: The team that wins Game 1 of a best-of-seven series wins the series 74% of the time.
This was a close game. This was a game where the Cavs can make adjustments for Game 2 on Tuesday.
But they were out-hustled in key parts of the game. In major possessions, New York came up with long rebounds and loose balls. That’s what hurts the most.
– You can find more Terry Pluto columns here.
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Cleveland Cavaliers forward Cedi Osman reacts to a three-point score by Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell in the second half, April 15, 2023, at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
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