The Cavaliers spent about 40 minutes looking like the better team in Game 1.
Then the fourth quarter happened.
What should have been a statement opener at Madison Square Garden turned into something else entirely. The offense froze up. Defensive rotations disappeared. The composure vanished. By the end, the Knicks had stolen a game the Cavs largely controlled.
That is the danger this time of year. One bad stretch changes the entire feel of a series.
Now, Cleveland has to respond.
Game info
Who: Cavaliers (0-1) at Knicks (1-0)
Where: Madison Square Garden — New York
When: Thursday, 8 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Line: Knicks -6.5
Injury report
Cavs: None
Knicks: None
Expected lineups
Cavs: James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen
Knicks: Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, Karl-Anthony Towns
What to expect
The biggest challenge for Cleveland may not be tactical. It may be mental.
Game 1 had every ingredient the Cavs wanted. Pace under control. Crowd taken out of it for stretches. Big games from the stars. Enough shot-making to quiet the Garden. Then came the collapse, and suddenly all the old postseason questions came rushing back.
That is what Game 2 becomes about. Can this group absorb a brutal loss without letting it linger?
The encouraging part for Cleveland is that it has already done that multiple times this postseason. After ugly losses to Toronto and Detroit earlier in the playoffs, the Cavs answered with some of their best basketball. That resilience is probably the biggest reason they are still playing.
Still, this matchup feels less forgiving.
The Knicks are too disciplined to hand games away. Jalen Brunson is too comfortable late. Karl-Anthony Towns stretches the floor in ways Detroit never could. The wings keep pressure on you defensively for 48 minutes.
Cleveland has to stay aggressive offensively when the game tightens. Too often in Game 1, possessions turned into isolation basketball and late-clock bailouts. That plays directly into New York’s hands.
Watch Evan Mobley in this one. When he attacks decisively and forces the Knicks to collapse defensively, the Cavs become much harder to guard. Cleveland also needs more composure from possession to possession, especially once the crowd starts building momentum.
The mission entering the series was simple: Split the first two in New York.
That opportunity is still sitting there. Lose Game 2, though, and the conversation changes fast. Then it becomes pressure heading home instead of momentum.
The Cavs have bounced back before. They are about to find out if they can do it on this stage, too.
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