NEW YORK — Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson stood by his decision to save two timeouts during a late fourth-quarter meltdown that turned a 22-point cushion into a 115-104 overtime loss to the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday night.
The Cavaliers were ahead 93-71 with 7:50 remaining when New York launched a 30-8 charge to force overtime, then outscored Cleveland 14-3 in the extra period. Atkinson stopped play only once during the Knicks’ surge.
“I like to hold my timeouts,” Atkinson said postgame. “I didn’t want to have one timeout at the end of the game, one- or two-point game. I tried to hold them.”
Donovan Mitchell and James Harden combined to shoot 1-for-10, including 0-for-5 from deep, for three points with two turnovers over the final stretch. Mitchell, who scored 29 overall, did not record a basket after 8:19 in the fourth quarter and went scoreless in overtime. He denied any injury concerns and said he would review film to understand his limited involvement.
Harden finished 5-for-16 for 15 points with six turnovers and three assists. “As a coach, you want the players to figure it out and withstand the storm, but it’s happening fast,” Harden said of the collapse. “We have to get our pace up and get into our offense much quicker.”
The 22-point blown lead is the second-largest fourth-quarter collapse over the past 30 NBA postseasons; only the Los Angeles Clippers’ 24-point comeback against Memphis in 2012 was bigger. Cleveland has already endured two painful defeats this postseason — a buzzer-beater at Toronto in the first round and a missed close-out chance against Detroit in the second — yet responded both times.
“It’s one loss,” Mitchell said. “It doesn’t give them two or three games. We have an opportunity to come back here in two days and steal one.”
Game 2 is scheduled for Thursday night at Madison Square Garden.
Source: ESPN
