Nine years to reach the conference finals. Four games to get swept out of it.
Donovan Mitchell’s best season ended in the worst way. The full player review is live.
https://t.co/ic6sOtltS9
But Mitchell was direct about what comes next.
"I'm not going to stop chasing a ring, and I'm going to die trying, to be honest."
The ceiling is still visible. The foundation is still here.
The ECF collapse wasn't one thing. It was the fatigue from 36 hours off after Game 7 in Detroit. It was Harden's 38.9% shooting and 17 turnovers. It was 28.9% from three as a team.
The Knicks were just better. All of it happened at once.
Through 41 different starting lineups, a deadline trade that divided the fanbase and two of the grittiest playoff series in recent memory, Donovan Mitchell was the one constant.
27.9 PPG. 5.7 APG. 7th straight All-Star. And he still wants more.
Cleveland survived Game 7 in Toronto. Came back from 0-2 against Detroit. Then the Knicks swept them by a combined 77 points.
The season is over. The hard questions begin now.
https://t.co/YQ9XQsuXlU
Breaking: Kenny Atkinson is returning as coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers for a third season, sources tell @ShamsCharania.
Get breaking news alerts from Shams Charania through the ESPN App: https://t.co/QEjDpr2WVy
With the brutal 130-93 loss in Game 4, Cleveland's season is officially over after getting swept in the Eastern Conference Finals.
22 turnovers, Harden going 0-for-6 from three and the Knicks winning the paint battle by 14. The Cavs were outclassed in every way that mattered.
Mitchell deserves better. Whether Cleveland can give it to him is the question of the offseason.
https://t.co/ktWi4HAEdZ
A tough way to end the season, with no positive future for this franchise in the short term in sight.
My thoughts on the series sweep will be published tomorrow afternoon at https://t.co/suxNCgHfve.
Ball is up in Rocket Arena!
No live tweets tonight. Finals week is approaching for my school and with that comes a lot of homework I've been procrastinating.
GO CAVS!
The Knicks scored 37 in the first quarter and never looked back. Cleveland's defense had no answers, Harden had six more turnovers and the crowd was leaving Rocket Arena before the final buzzer.
https://t.co/E6lN9bI5UK
Knicks 121, Cavaliers 108 — Final
Evan Mobley — 24 PTS, 6 REB, 2 AST, 1 BLK on 10-for-18 FG and 1-for-6 3PT and 3-for-4 FT
Donovan Mitchell — 23 PTS, 1 REB, 4 AST, 3 STL on 9-for-21 FG and 3-for-10 3PT and 2-for-6 FT
James Harden — 19 PTS, 5 REB, 5 AST, 1 STL on 8-for-15 FG and 1-for-7 3PT and 2-for-3 FT
Jarrett Allen — 17 PTS, 7 REB on 7-for-9 FG and 3-for-4 FT
Max Strus — 13 PTS, 7 REB, 6 AST, 1 STL on 4-for-12 FG and 4-for-11 3PT and 1-for-1 FT
#Cavs fall in 121 - 108 to New York and fall to 0-3 in the ECF.
Based on history alone, this series is over and with the team unable to muster any sort of energy here in Game 3 it's hard to argue that Cleveland will be able to do it. The Cavaliers were better offensively, but couldn't hit any three-point shots and poor passing led to a lot of extra opportunities.
The real issue tonight was the defense. Knicks had so many easy opportunities to put points on the boards due to some lagging defense and that showed with some high efficiency from the Knicks scorers. Jalen Brunson led the way with 30 points on 10-for-19 shooting, able to get to his spots with ease. Mikal Bridges continues to put points on the board with efficiency, going for 22 tonight on 11-for-15 shooting while OG Anunoby was right next to him with 21 points on 6-for-10 shooting.
Evan Mobley had a much better game with 24 on 10-for-18 and Donovan Mitchell added 23 despite having headed back to the locker room for a little stint.