CAVS VS KNICKS, Game 1:
Would it be an overreaction to say Coach Bickerstaffs rotations are terrible? I don’t think so considering they have been all year and this continued into the playoffs. Why on earth would Dean Wade, the worst player on the Cavs, get ANY minutes at all? Why is Cedi Osman matched up with Jalen Brunson in the 4th quarter?
All that aside, the Cavs lost fair and square. Our bigs didn’t play mean enough, which is odd considering how nasty they are down low on a typical night. But the playoff nerves rattled them. Knicks pick up the game 1 win in Cleveland, 101-97.
Donovan Mitchell stayed red hot, scoring seemingly at will. Garland played like it was his first playoff game, which it was. Mobley was missing the easiest lay ups of his life, while Randle chucked up a boatload of 3s and made a considerable amount of them. Brunson is a certified star, and absolutely needs to be guarded by Okoro at all times. You stop Brunson, you beat the Knicks. This needs to be a focal point for Coach JB and the Cavs heading into game 2. Losing one game isn’t the end of the series, and playoff experience for such a young team is valuable regardless, but they have to play better next game.
Cavs in 6.
All stats provided courtesy of NBA.com
John Zimmerman