The Cavs Core Four: Evaluating their Game 3 performances

Game 3 of the First Round series between the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks in New York set offense back eons. Both teams resembled brick layers. I am sure James Naismith was rolling in his grave watching the porous offensive basketball that was displayed by both teams.

However, while the Knicks were bad on offense, the Cavs managed to be much worse. The Cavs were so underwhelming offensively that they could not even clear 80 points, becoming the first NBA team this season to not reach that mark and the first team since the 2021 Portland Trail Blazers. This was also the first time the Cavs lost by more than 20 points this season.

For a team that already had very little playoff experience, the bright lights of Madison Square Garden were simply too much to bear. Even the team’s core of Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen did not play up to their standard. They were very underwhelming on both ends of the floor to say the least.

Luckily, after an all-time terrible performance like that, the only way to go is up. Here is my analysis of the Core Four’s performance.

Darius Garland’s Game 3

4/21 was the date of Game 3. 4/21 is also the date of my mother’s birthday (shoutout Mom). 4-for-21 is also what Darius Garland shot from the field in Game 3 against the Knicks. He could not throw the ball into the Atlantic Ocean even if he tried his hardest. After a masterful performance in Game 2 that included six three-pointers and 32 huge points, Garland laid an egg at the Garden. He was missing open looks. He was rushing his shots. He was missing layups.

At times, it looked like he was taking a shot just for the sake of taking it instead of playing under control and picking his spots within the offense. He looked rattled by the raucous environment at Madison Square Garden. The first road playoff game for any young player is rough, and this should be taken with a grain of salt. Garland will never miss the same amount of open looks that he did in Game 3. He already responded after a mediocre Game 1 performance. Now, he has to do it again.

Otherwise, the Cavs will head back to Cleveland down 3-1 with no LeBron to save them this time.