Julius Randle #30 of the New York Knicks and Darius Garland #10 of the Cleveland Cavaliers. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)
The Cleveland Cavaliers wasted a brilliant performance by Donovan Mitchell, losing Game 1 to the New York Knicks. These three Cavaliers are most to blame.
The first-round of the 2023 NBA playoffs officially kicked off on Saturday. While there were games scheduled like the Philadelphia 76ers vs. the Brooklyn Nets and the Boston Celtics vs. the Atlanta Hawks, the most competitive game on paper was between the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Sure enough, it lived up to the hype, with the game going down to the wire.
Cleveland watched as guard and huge offseason acquisition Donovan Mitchell lived up to expectations, dropping 38 points on New York. If the Cavs could pull off the win, there would be plenty of “the Knicks should have gotten Donovan Mitchell last offseason” talk. But for Cleveland, they didn’t get to do so, as they lost 101-97.
They had no answer for Jalen Brunson, who showed why the Knicks tried so hard to sign him this past offseason. Not to mention that their trade deadline acquisition, Josh Hart, stepped up in a huge way as well.
While it is only the first game of the series, blame is going to be pointed towards particular individuals on the Cavaliers. Here are the three Cavaliers that are the most to blame.
Cavaliers to blame for Game 1 loss to Knicks, No. 3: Big men failing to get boards
Entering this series, rebounding was going to be a huge issue for the Cavaliers. This season, they averaged just 41.1 total rebounds per game, sixth-worst in the NBA, and 9.7 offensive rebounds per game, the tied ninth-worst, per ESPN.
Sure enough, their inability to pick up boards was placed in the national spotlight.
The Knicks were able to pick up 51 total rebounds in the game, as opposed to the Cavaliers’ 38. Perhaps the most damning statistic in the game, is that the Knicks were able to haul in 11 offensive rebounds in the second half. Cleveland? Only four. That is unacceptable for Cleveland, especially when they have to face some tougher teams like the 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks if they were to advance.
There was one sequence in the second half in which the Knicks missed two jump shots, but were able to haul in two offensive rebounds. That led to Mitchell Robinson getting the slam dunk to extend New York’s lead to 84-74.
The Cavs need to clean this part of their game up.