CLEVELAND — The message came from the top and trickled down.
The Cavaliers have been here before. They’ve already overcome an 0-2 series deficit this postseason. They’re steadfast that they can do it again.
“OK Cavs fans, feel familiar? Clearly it’s not ideal, but we have done this twice already,” owner Dan Gilbert posted on X after the Knicks’ Game 2 win at Madison Square Garden on Thursday. “We go home, win 2 and then it’s a 3-game series and we win it in 6 or 7. Keep believing. Let Em **C**** Know?”
That sentiment was echoed by the players.
“I think it helps, from a mentality standpoint, this isn’t our first time at it,” Donovan Mitchell said. “This isn’t our first time facing adversity, we’ve been to two Game 7s. So being down 2-0, it’s not the biggest challenge. It’s right here, so let’s go ahead and take advantage of it. I understand that they’re gonna make adjustments, we are as well. … It’s really as simple as we have to protect home court, that’s really it.”
The Cavs have been excellent at home, owning a 6-1 record at Rocket Arena. Their only loss was in Game 6 to the Pistons in the second round.
After falling to an 0-2 deficit, the Cavs won three straight last round before that Game 6 loss, then closed it out in Game 7 in Detroit.
So, Game 3 of these conference finals on Saturday is crucial. It’s hard to see the Knicks, on a historic nine-game winning streak, slowing down. It feels like they are within touching distance of reaching the finals for the first time this century.
But it just takes one game to completely change the tone of a series. Win Game 3, and the Knicks have one foot in the finals. They could even begin thinking about a potential rest advantage once again while the Thunder and Spurs beat each other up over in the West.
Lose Game 3, though, and all of a sudden it’s a series. All of a sudden, there is pressure on the Knicks to avoid returning home with the series tied 2-2.
And, to be fair, the Knicks completely stole Game 1 with their epic comeback. The Cavs outplayed them for the vast majority of that game.
The Knicks won two games in last year’s conference finals, too, though they never led that series. But they have not yet gotten any farther than they did a year ago.
“We don’t feel any closer than we did last game or any game,” Karl-Anthony Towns said after Game 2. “In our minds, it’s back to 0-0. We gotta win the next game, it’s the most important game of the year.
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“That’s how we treat it. We’re hungry to go out there and play basketball at the highest level. But we also understand that you can never be satisfied in these positions in the playoffs. The mindset is gonna continue to be 0-0 every single time we step on that court.”
Can the Knicks put their foot down and essentially end this series? Or can the Cavaliers make things interesting?
The direction of the series is at stake.
