3 best things the Cleveland Cavaliers did against the New York Knicks

By Chad Porto | Apr 19, 2023

Apr 18, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New York Knicks guard RJ Barrett (9) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) during the first quarter of game two of the 2023 NBA playoffs at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /

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Apr 18, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Caris LeVert (3) and guard Donovan Mitchell (45) celebrate during the second half of game two against the New York Knicks in the 2023 NBA playoffs at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /

Fed the hot hands

You can’t predict when it happens, but when someone gets hot, you just let them rip. That’s exactly what happened with Darius Garland and Caris LeVert, who made all but four of the team’s 14 three-pointers made. The duo really did the damage, with Garland not just getting off more shots from three than in Game 1 but also finding ways to draw attention and get to the line for free throws.

Unlike Game 1, the Cavs shot much better from the free-throw line, thanks to Garland’s 10-11 day from the line. Now it may seem like the thing to do is just repeat the behavior for Game 3, but LeVert is flakey at times and Garland isn’t always this assertive.

So instead, the Cavs need to do what they did in essence, and that is to feed the hot hands. It could be Donovan Mitchell, Danny Green, Cedi Osman, Evan Mobley, or whoever is having the better shooting night should be the one the Cavs set up shots for.

While also keeping an eye out for shooters, just like they did on Tuesday. The Cavs got the ball around, they didn’t just settle for the first forced shot of the possession, they looked for the open man. That’s how they had 26 assists on the game, compared to the Knicks’ 16.

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