3 reasons why the Cleveland Cavaliers fell apart against the New York Knicks

No one to replace Kevin Love with

Yeah, this one hurt the worst. While Kevin Love didn’t fit with the Cleveland Cavaliers for a time due to his poor shooting, what Love also brought with him was an incredible ability to rebound and move the ball around. It’s no surprise that when Love was sent to the bench for good before his release, the ball movement stopped. It’s not surprising either that the two biggest issues the Cavs had this series; passing and offensive rebounding, were two things that Love did very well with.

The Cavs weren’t wrong for wanting (or needing) better three-point shooting from Love, but the thought process was that Dean Wade could come in and be everything Love was. Sure, Wade is a great defensive player, one of the Cavs’ very best, but he didn’t pass the ball as well as Love. He also was a far inferior rebounder than Love.

The lack of reliable bodies helped the Knicks dominate the boards. Without a reliable third big man, the Cavs just didn’t have the energy or ability to out-body someone like Mitchell Robinson.

Now, Love wasn’t a great defender, but with him, the Miami Heat were able to beat Giannis Antetokounmpo and move on to the second round. The Cavs, in five games, got humiliated by the Knicks. Three straight losses, none of which saw the Cavs break 100 points.

It’s not only fair but it’s accurate to say that the Cavs passive nature at the trade deadline doomed them. Maybe the Cavs don’t beat the Knicks with Love, but no one can deny that the team would be better suited at moving the ball around with him and being better suited at rebounding against a heavier Knicks lineup.