The Cleveland Cavaliers just had a total meltdown in Madison Square Garden. They did a whole lot of great things before the final seven minutes. That will make it hard to grade, so bear with me here.
All grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.
29 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 6 steals, 1 block, 4 turnovers
It must feel nice to get away from the wrestling matches that Mitchell had to endure against Toronto and Detroit. Mitchell nestled into a comfortable rhythm against a skilled but less physically imposing defense in New York.
Mitchell was in a groove. He scored 26 points by the third quarter by getting to his spots and pushing the Knicks’ shoddy rim protection to the brink. They had no answer for him once he got to the basket and couldn’t contain him at the point of attack. Mitchell made good reads as a playmaker (for the most part) and also racked up 6 steals in a fantastic three quarters.
Then the fourth quarter happened.
Mitchell’s process went out the window as the ball stopped moving. He dribbled, or stood in the corner motionless, as the Cavs offense sputtered out of control. He didn’t contribute to their collapse defensively, but he didn’t help either
Grade: F (A- before the 4th)
15 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 6 turnovers
This was a disaster through and through.
Even before the fourth quarter, Harden had started this game on shaky ground with some unbelievably lazy turnovers. A 30-foot pass that was easily picked off by Mitchell Robinson. Another cross-court bomb that went straight out of bounds. And, being loose with the ball at halfcourt and getting ripped for a layup.
Harden was the primary target of New York’s comeback. The Knicks put him in action and scored seemingly every time. Jalen Brunson didn’t even notice he was there. That’s partly because Harden himself didn’t look interested in being there himself.
15 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks
Mobley played one hell of a game before the fourth quarter. He took Karl-Anthony Towns out of his rhythm and helped the Cavs set a strong defensive tone. What happened during the collapse was largely outside of Mobley’s control. He couldn’t help on Brunson’s drives, and had nothing to do but watch as Harden and Mitchell drained the shot clock on the other end.
The Cavs grew stagnant in the fourth quarter. That’s always been the worst version of them. The ball hardly touched Mobley’s hands unless it was a bail-out three-point attempt. That’s not what you want to see happen. But he also can’t control what Harden and Mitchell choose to do with the ball.
10 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block
Allen was on his way to redemption.
Madison Square Garden is where this nightmare first started for Allen. Since then, he’s had quite a lot of success, in my opinion. But this building was always where he’d have the most to gain or lose. So far, Allen has held up his end of the bargain.
Allen grabbed 5 offensive rebounds through the first three quarters, more than the entire Knicks roster. Totally flipping the tables on what happened to him in 2023 by beating everyone else to the ball over and over again. He dominated the paint and had New York searching for answers.
Similar to Mobley, what happened in the fourth quarter is far more on the guards and coaching than anything the bigs could have controlled.
10 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists
For a guy who sometimes goes multiple games without looking at the basket, this was a pretty sweet performance.
Wade has always been a good shooter. It’s part of the reason why it’s frustrating when he doesn’t shoot. Tonight, however, Wade was appropriately aggressive and let it fly for three three-pointers, including a four-point finish. That should have been more than enough to win.
However, the Cavs failed to reap any of the rewards of having Wade out there for his defense. They conceded the switch, allowing Brunson to draw the switch on Harden. The rest is history.
This is more on Kenny Atkinson for the game plan than it is on Wade for allowing the switch. For that, I won’t dock him.
8 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
Strus would have blown the lid off this game if he had it going from downtown. His 2-6 shooting is tough considering the quality of looks he had. But make no mistake, Strus brought his usual impact on all of the margins. He arguably should have been out there in place of Harden during the fourth quarter.
3 points, 5 assists, 1 steal, 0 turnovers
Schroder’s first stint was a disaster. The Knicks were completely ignoring him, and he shot just 1-6 on those opportunities.
But the Cavs adjusted in the second half. Schroder wisely cut into open space when he was ignored, and that caused the Knicks to panic once he caught the ball. This led to timely assists to Sam Merrill and Jarrett Allen. Schroder finished with 5 assists and 0 turnovers
Still, a 1-9 shooting night isn’t going to cut it.
12 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal
The Knicks played with fire by helping off of Merrill multiple times, and he let them feel the heat. It wasn’t a barn burner or anything, but Merrill hit timely shots and pushed the Cavs to a dominant third quarter that should have given them a large enough cushion to close things in the fourth.
Again, what happened after was not his fault. Merrill fought like hell and nearly hit the winning shot at the end of regulation. It should have never even gotten to that point.
Ellis only played a brief stint and looked out of sorts. He settled in a bit towards the end, but never got back on the floor to truly test that.
