The Cleveland Cavaliers insist they are undaunted by falling 2-0 down on the New York Kicks in the Eastern Conference finals.
Josh Hart led the Knicks to a 109-93 Game Two win at Madison Square Garden as the Cavs' tactics of stopping Jalen Brunson worked to a degree but then fell down on poor shooting from three-point range.
It means they have an uphill task in the 2026 play-offs once again, although they proved in the conference semi-finals they have the mentality to progress after coming back to beat the Detroit Pistons.
“This isn't our first time facing adversity,†said Donovan Mitchell. “We've been through two Game Sevens, so being down 2-0 is not the biggest challenge. It's just something we just reached.â€
Shooting let us down, not the tactics, insist Cavaliers
The feeling amongst the Cleveland players and staff was that their approach was correct but was hindered by going just nine for 26 from beyond the arc.
“We just hit no shots,†Cavs guard James Harden said. “We had a lot of open shots. Make shots, hit a couple of those, win the ball game. Throughout the entire game, our process was right. I don't know if it was tired legs, you know, whatever the case is going to be, but we had a lot of really good looks. It's part of the game.â€
Hart ended with a personal playoff high of 26 points while Brunson turned provider with 14 assists.
It was a night to remember for 31-year-old Hart, who led a key 18-0 third-quarter run that swayed the game in New York's favour.
Brown hails Knicks star Hart
He has struggled for game time under coach Mike Brown, who said: “It's just who Josh is. He's a gamer. He knew what he had to do in terms of adjustments he needed to make in order to be effective.Â
“He was great, he was decisive. We have to play fast, so we're not going against a set defense all the time.â€
It will be interesting to see if Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson employs similar tactics – or eases the focus on Brunson – when the teams meet for Game Three.
“Obviously we're loaded up more to him, and he found other guys,†Atkinson said of Brunson. “We just got to find that balance, but 14 assists, credit to him, right? Took away some of the scoring options, blitzed him, gave him different looks.â€
