NEW YORK — Statements aren’t made against Charlotte or New Orleans.
After two turbulent months, the Cavs had their chance to make that statement on Thursday.
The tipoff to the NBA’s marquee Christmas slate. National TV. Famed Madison Square Garden. The Eastern Conference second seed. The franchise’s first Yuletide game in the post-LeBron James era. A two-game winning streak. Renewed health.
It was the ideal stage — and day — to send a reminder of why they were once viewed as a preseason conference co-favorite.
And the Cavs … blew it, losing 126-124.
Following a pair of morale-boosting blowouts against the bottom-feeding Hornets and Pelicans, and with franchise pillar Evan Mobley making a quicker-than-expected return from a calf injury, Cleveland carried that momentum into New York. It scored the first five points, raced to an 18-3 lead and was in front by 15 after one brilliant quarter.
Rhythmic offense. Stifling defense. Across-the-roster contributions. Minimal mistakes. Swagger. Joy.
More positive signs of a team finding itself — signs that have been flickering since the start of the week.
Only the Cavs couldn’t sustain it.
The Knicks — one of six teams with at least 20 wins this season — started their rally in the second quarter, used an 18-0 burst to claim the lead for the first time and finished the first half with a two-point advantage.
Cleveland kept its composure, organically rebuilt the lead and went ahead by a game-high 17 with a little more than 10 minutes left.
It was that close to a signature win — the most resounding of the season thus far.
Then the Cavs were outscored 40-21 the rest of the way — the third largest comeback victory on Christmas in the play-by-play era.
Every rally is also a collapse. Every comeback is also a choke.
A supposed defense-first team gave up 42 fourth-quarter points on 15 of 27 shooting and 7 of 13 from 3-point range despite Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson unleashing his two-big look — Mobley and Jarrett Allen — for a large chunk of the period.
There were questionable late-game lineup decisions — Atkinson taking Dean Wade off the floor at the top of that list. For all his flaws and limitations, Wade was the team’s best (lone?) Jalen Brunson irritant. Brunson, an MVP candidate and New York’s leading scorer, had made just one field goal in the first seven minutes of the fourth quarter — until Atkinson pulled Wade with 4:31 remaining.
Brunson then accounted for New York’s next eight points — two jumpers, including the game-tying triple, and an assist to young sparkplug Tyler Kolek who finished with 16 points and nine rebounds off the bench. Brunson added the go-ahead 3 a few minutes later — also not coincidentally with Wade sitting. Why go away from second-year energizer Jaylon Tyson who was in the midst of a remarkable second half?
Just 19th in rebounding rate this season, the Cavs couldn’t corral boards in critical moments. New York interior nuisance Mitchell Robinson grabbed four offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter. Karl-Anthony Towns had a timely put-back with 27.3 seconds left after Mobley’s failed box-out that gave the Knicks a four-point edge — their largest of the second half.
Cleveland’s maligned and inconsistent bench tallied just six points in the fourth quarter — two baskets from usual starter Mobley and another from De’Andre Hunter.
The offense was Donovan Mitchell-centric late, with him taking 11 of the team’s 26 fourth-quarter attempts.
The Cavs ended up losing the possession game — a no-no against the Knicks, the No. 1 key on the Cleveland scouting report.
There were mindless gaffes and crippling breakdowns (fouling Brunson three separate times on triple tries).
It doesn’t matter that Cleveland looked a lot like the team many expected coming into the season, before stumbling to this 17-15 record and seventh spot in the East. Doesn’t matter that it led for nearly 34 minutes. Doesn’t matter that Garland looked shifty, explosive and dynamic — the third time in the last four games hitting the 20-point mark. Doesn’t matter that passion and enthusiasm poured out of the team again. Doesn’t matter that Mobley returned from a five-game absence, beating the return-to-play timeline by at least a week, looking spry and impactful and making the team almost whole. Doesn’t matter that Mitchell was spectacular again, pouring in 34 points, seven rebounds, and six assists in 33 minutes. Doesn’t matter that it was an encouraging performance overall, especially given how things looked over the weekend.
Statements aren’t made with losses. The Cavs are beyond the point of moral victories.
On the verge of a ringing victory to jumpstart a potential turnaround, when it mattered most, with the world watching, they crumbled.
Again.
Thursday encapsulated everything that makes them so menacing, and everything that has sparked so much doubt.
