Playoff Live Thread: Knicks @ Cavs, ECF Game 3
2026-05-23Good evening CtB!
The Cavs welcome the New York Knicks to the banks of the Cuyahoga River with a slim chance for the good guys to make it a competitive series. In all probability the series is already over, with conference finalists having a 2-0 advantage winning the series over 90% of the time. The majority of media personalities and fans alike never really gave the Cavs a chance in this series, and the Game 1 collapse by Cleveland only re-affirmed those prejudices. For many, that game was emblematic of the Cavs’ lack of toughness, physical and mental, that has dogged this team over the past few years. Even though more of the pressure should be on the Knicks to make it to the Finals, the Cavs are the ones playing as though more pressure is upon them. Everything is stacked against the Cavs and the Knicks look like an unbeatable juggernaut who’ll waltz through the East. So naturally, either the Cavs have the Knicks right where they want them… or maybe having zero competitive toughness is simply part of the Cavs’ brand.
Basketball-wise, the stories that have emerged from this Cavs’ run is the disappearing act of Donovan Mitchell (and to a lesser extent, but still so James Harden) and the buffoonery of Coach Kenny Atkinson. For whatever the reason, Mitchell’s playmaking has completely disappeared in this playoff run, with an assist ratio at a pathetic 10.8 according to nba.com. This has resulted in the freezing out of our two best offensive rim attackers, Tower City. The only real question is how much of the blame is on Mitchell and/or how much of the blame should Kenny Atkinson receive for his idiotic rotations. A classic “chicken or the egg” conundrum.
With Kenny Atkinson, his over-reliance on Dennis Schröder and Max Strus have cost the Cavs, particularly Mitchell and Evan Mobley, any chance to be successful on the court. Ironically, Schröder has been a massive positive for James Harden (+10.9 net rating in 123 playoff minutes), yet the Umlaut gets far more minutes with Mitchell and they are a disaster together: -12.4 net rating in 178 playoff minutes. It’s obvious to see that Schröder’s lack of shooting and ball dominance completely nuke any chance Mitchell and Mobley have to be effective on offense. With Strus, he and Mitchell are sporting a -11.6 net rating in 281 playoff minutes and a -11.5 in 276 playoff minutes with Mobley. With a coach who can’t make basic adjustments and ignores easily interpretable data, it’s no wonder the Cavs look like a joke on the court.
The question that comes to mind about Strus’ lack of success is whether or not playing four guard lineups is negatively impacting his ability to defend, which is where Strus is getting killed in the playoffs. On the other hand, maybe ifJaylon Tyson, with whom the Cavs have been clearly a superior performing playoff team, can get unglued off the bench we wouldn’t have to deal with the Umlaut/Strus atrocities. At this point, even Keon Ellis would represent an improvement over Max Strus from a team performance perspective these playoffs. Can Kenny Atkinson make any adjustment or sink like the Bismarck? Stay tuned…
Tip off is scheduled for 8:00PM Eastern time and will be nationally broadcasted on ABC, Go Cavs!
14 games in the first two rounds, and cruising for 3 1/2 quarters in game 1, if Merrill’s shot goes down just maybe this is a series, when it rims out, and they get run out of OT, the realization set in, nothing left and the Knicks are better, especially coached
Once more: up 22, KA’s got to call TOs and rest a tired team. Instead, he was shellshocked and let them die slowly. Not a leader. I wish him the best, but his initial success freeing their offense from JB’s limited strategy has run its course. He was clearly outclassed this series. His lack of Tyson, his inability to dictate the offense through Mobley/Allen, his defensive strategies that let Brunson and Hart go wild all point to a need for a new coach. We shot poorly and turned the ball over, no doubt….but we win game one, and who knows… Read more »
So disappointing….they quit.
I don’t see how KA survives this. The team was clearly outplayed and outcoached.
Get the best coach on the planet. Not gonna matter. This team is flawed at a deeper level.
Both things can be true
Both can be true. But who has the guts to address both at once?
If that is true, what to do? Bring in Giannis? Bring LeBron back? We cannot resign Harden, right?
Not sure what they’re going to do.
I could see a last gasp attempt with Giannis.
I could see them bite the bullet and make everyone available.
I could also see the ultimate move but no move – new coach and keep the roster mostly the same. This seems most likely to me unless game 4 is embarrassing.
Since the 22 point lead, outscored 263-200, the tank is empty…
They don’t have answers. Besides the Knicks’ shooting, we haven’t taken advantage of a single Knick. Even when we got switches, we threw the ball away.
The Knicks are just shooting it off the charts.
Agreed. But the disparities (57-50 in FGs, 95-61 in FTs, 41-31 in 3s) are gross due to our ineptitude as much as their ability.
I am shocked by our lack of energy. Open players and rebounds that hit the ground…
Considering Tyson and Tomlin were the only guys who hustled all year…
LMFAO https://x.com/MZavagno11/status/2058367083231211760?s=20
By point diffetential this is the best 9 game span in NBA history. By NY
We start each quarter poorly tonight. Playing uphill all night.
Good game, good season.
Still a few more steps to take.
If we are moving on to next year, do we resign Harden? I have trouble imaging the 37-year-old version looking better than this one.
Yes. We don’t have cap space either way.
The bet you make is that more time together helps us. And Tyson improves and hopefully Mobley + our draft pick + LeBron gets us over the top.
First seven game series clinched in game one.
Indy / NY last year too. Sometimes the basketball gods not with you.
100%
Tyson in. No Schröder. No Strus.
Still getting spanked.
At least Kelce chugged a beer for the cause…
I just hit the liquor cabinet.
Just now?! This game put me there in the first quarter!
Ha!
Now would be an appropriate time for a Cavalanche.
I think for the All State “Good Hands” play, they should have shown Brunson hooking one of the Cavs.
We’re just missing on the margins. Just a little too far off Brunson, a little too late on entry passes, etc. etc.
You can really tell the difference between the team that’s been together for two years vs the lineups that had 10-20 games in pre-playoffs :(
I wish that were the case…but the misses and turnovers are mostly not the result of unfamiliarity with the rim or the ball….
We are shooting 50% from the field. Even on the glass.
Losing the FT battle. Losing the TO battle. Made more 3s but a worse %.
Just a little smarter, a little cleaner, a little better, and we’d have them.
LeBron would help. More time together would help.
Gotta make Brunson change direction there.
Just pick him up higher before he gets a headcof steam.
Why are they not blitzing him and getting the ball out of his hands? The Raptors wrecked us doing that…and we didn’t learn a thing from them. Maybe we don’t have the horses…
Just not connected enough
No Tyson in the fourth…hope this changes in next year’s playoffs…
Feel like the new coach will give him more minutes for sure 😜
Are we heading that way? Who would push this team’s buttons appropriately?
It’s not that, they just don’t know how to play together at an elite level. All the little stuff has been the difference :(
Brunson hook–not challenged…
Lucky 3 there.
Four guard lineups, Strus + Schroder, it’s a wrap
It was a wrap before Schröder checked in, we were already down 12.
Again, it isn’t this lineups. It is the TOs and poor 3PT shooting.
Elastic about to snap.
Yeah, I don’t see (any) signs of life.
When we get desperate, we jack up 3s.
We’d ne ahead if we stopped turning it over.
6 TOs this quarter.
Just awful.
And another TO.
5 this quarter. Well on the way to 20.
4 TOs in 4+ minutes.
Harden & Mitchell at fault.
We just play too dumb too often for this level.
It’s not helping.
On the cusp of a double-digit deficit. They just don’t value the ball enough. Some of it is the Knicks’ length…much of it is us.
STOP FORCING THE PASSES…
So Mitchell apparently carrying an injury affecting lateral movement? Incredible he can still perform at this level if so.
Have hit a couple 3s, though. Spida + Mobes.
And Mobes nails 2 FtS.
3 quick TOs.
2 quick TOs.
Clear foul at the end of half. No challenge.
KA has let them them down in that regard.
Agreed.
Down 6.
Could be worse. Could be better.
Agreed. I hoped for more made shots. Tonight, their three-point percentage (21%) is worse than games 1/2 (29%); their free-throw percentage (55%) likewise is worse than games 1/2 (69%). For the series, we have 46 assists and 36 turnovers… these two data points don’t even need the other team’s to declare a winner. If we don’t flip the script, we’re on the Giannis/LeBron watch Tuesday morning.
Getting painful…missing free throws and open threes…
Missing a lot of FTs.
69% for the series…and Mitchell misses both.
Turnovers will be the death of this team.
Missing a lot of FTs and open 3s.
Just not good enough.
I hate hunting 3s.
2 straight TOs.
Harden has been excellent.
And I jinxed the FT.
I noticed that.
The Knicks only have 4 points in the 1st 5+ minutes this quarter.
Back in it.
Keep attacking the rack.
Loving these Tyson minutes. It’s almost as if he should have been playing all series.
#KBOZOFORPRISON <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
JAYLON TYSON SAYS FUCK YOU KBOZO
Big arm wrestle right here. Tyson having an impact.
Nice. Almost a TO into a potential 3PT play.
Tyson!
TYSON SIGHTING!
Seven.
Up to 6 TOs.
In the bonus. 2 on KAT.
EVERY TIME STRUS AND SCHRODER TOUCH THE FLOOR WE’RE SCREWED
KBOZO MASTERCLASS
Remember, KA believes Strus’ effect on the game “does not show up in the stat sheet.” That basically means you can throw out your data.
Too bad KBozo decides to play him with every player he absolutely zero oncourt chemistry with LMFAOOOO
Not really very good on either end so far.
1-8 from 3.
2-9 after Dennis.
I accept all the issues this team has…but why so cold from three? Is this a result of mental weakness in the moment? Or just a really bad streak for a good shooting team?
The current lineup on the floor has had 47 playoff minutes and is a -27 net rating…. KBozo is a brain dead moron
3rd most used lineup in the playoffs LFMAOOOOOOOO
Damning.
Incredibly.
Or you are?
The Knicks are just better. The rotations and lineups are not a factor here.
You do this every year. You call the coach a moron because he does not play the 11th-15th guy(s) on the roster during the most critical part of the year when they have hardly played.
Tyson? OK. He has played some. But Proctor/CPJ? No way.
OH GOD “ SCHREDDER “ IS IN
Schroder + Strus on the floor with Mitchell and Mobley LMFAOOO KBozo throwing the game
That is a crap call. That isn’t a foul.
CROWD HAS QUITED DOWN ALREADY—— HAVE NO DEFENSE 🤬
Strus touched the floor, immediate Knicks run
Hit a 3 there.
10-13 for NY. Blistering and smart offense.
We have next to no shot unless we shoot lights out.
I will say I don’t like Kenny’s cross matches. I’d have Allen on OG. Mitchell or Harden on Hart.
WAS GOING TO SAY THE SAME JASON
Yikes.
WE HAVE TO WORK OUR ASS OFF TO SCORE KNICKS ARE SCORING AT WELL 🤬
Get back on defense. WTF?
GET A FRIGGIN STOP!!!!!
Perfect start.
ABOUT READY TO TURN IT OFF ALREADY!!!
Anderson Varejao! I like it!
No pressure on the Cavs today. None at all.
THINKING CAVS WIN THIS GAME FOR MEDIA PURPOSES——BUT THAT WILL BE THEIR ONLY WIN——-GO CAVS!!!!
MORE BEER 🍺 AND LESS “ SHREDDER “ PLEASE “
Strus + Schröder: -14.3 net rating in 156 playoff minutes LMFAOOOO
God you suck KBozo
As if Proctor is the answer.
The fact is the Knicks are better. Putting Tyson, CPJ, and Ellis in isn’t gonna change that.
Tyson has been mostly bad in the POs, and the rest shat the bed & almost blew a huge lead.
Go Cavs!
I agree go Cavs