New York forces Cavs into perilous 3-0 hole

CLEVELAND — Donovan Mitchell has lacked his customary explosiveness and not looked like himself through three games of the Eastern Conference finals. Something seems off with the All-Star guard.

Same for the Cavaliers.

They may soon have time to heal. Like, a whole summer, as Cleveland sits on the brink of elimination.

The Cavs couldn't match New York's force, firepower or balance, despite being on their home floor, and lost Game 3 to the Knicks 121-108 on Saturday night to fall into a perilous postseason hole in the best-of-seven series.

No team in NBA history has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit, and the Cavs aren't showing signs of becoming the first in 164 tries.

Mitchell did what he could, scoring 23 points, but he didn't have his burst and committed five of his team's 18 turnovers, as the Cavs failed to contain the Knicks, who were cheered on a by a raucous group of New York fans that invaded Rocket Arena.

Following the game, Mitchell sat in a chair behind the table before his media interview and stared blankly at a box score underscoring New York's dominance.

When asked what it's going to take to avoid a sweep and win Game 4 on Monday night, Mitchell was succinct.

"Let's start with making some shots," he said. "Let's start with getting some stops and making some free throws."

Mitchell's first trip to a conference final after so many second-round exits hasn't gone as hoped.

The Cavs, who were pushed to seven games by Toronto and Detroit earlier in the playoffs, blew a 22-point lead in the fourth quarter and lost Game 1 at Madison Square Garden.

They battled for much of Game 2 before fading, and are now dragging physically after weeks of playing every other day.

The Knicks, who had time to rest after sweeping Philadelphia in the second round, are taking advantage of Cleveland's heavy legs.

"We did it to ourselves," Mitchell said. "We can't be mad now."

Just as in the first two games, New York was the more aggressive team in the early going, jumping to a 9-1 lead in the opening two minutes and forcing Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson to call a timeout. The Cavs regrouped, but their sloppiness combined with New York's ability to get out in transition and score proved too much.

"Their physicality and energy level was higher than ours," Atkinson said. "They were the more physical team and we couldn't get to that level. Whatever the stats say, they were the better team. They're playing great basketball. They're on a hell of a run and we haven't been able to stop the momentum."

The Cavs had seized it in the series opener before suffering a stunning collapse that has already provided Mitchell with a lasting lesson.

"Don't lose Game 1 after being up 22," he said when asked about what's soured his conference finals debut."But hey, it happened and now we have to find a way to get back from 3-0. We just have to find a way. We were up 22. It's on us."

In the closing minutes, thousands of blue-and-orange-clad New York fans were hollering "Knicks in four!"They serenaded Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, who scored 30 points and added six assists, with chants of "M-V-P" at the foul line.

In Cleveland, those moments normally belong only to Mitchell. But the Knicks are taking everything away from the Cavs. Mitchell said the noise wasn't unexpected.

"I'm from New York, this doesn't shock me," he said. "They do it in every arena. It's like (Dallas) Cowboys fans. It's just who they are. It wasn't just a Cleveland thing. That's how Knicks fans are. I was one back in the day. That had nothing to do with what's going on in Cleveland. We didn't get it done for our home crowd tonight."

Before the game, Atkinson described Mitchell's physical issues as merely "bumps and bruises". The All-Star, who left the floor for treatment in the first quarter, is now dealing with the mental strain of a deficit that's probably too large to overtake.

Mitchell, though, isn't giving up.

"We have an opportunity to get one (win) on Monday," he said."Then go back to New York and get one there and come back here."

Knicks on the brink

Brunson scored a game-high 30 points, OG Anunoby added 21 and Mikal Bridges contributed 22 on 11-of-15 shooting, as New York edged itself one game closer to the NBA Finals for the first time in three decades.

"I'm at a loss for words," Brunson said. "I thought we fought, most importantly."

"The series isn't over," Anunoby said. "(We've) just (got to) keep our foot on their necks and just try to win the game."

Brunson said the Knicks must continue to concentrate.

"Just focus on one possession at a time," Brunson said. "The way we've been having that mindset these past couple weeks, we have to continue it, if not actually (do it) better."

The Knicks last reached the NBA Finals 27 years ago when they lost to San Antonio.

They have not won the NBA championship since 1973.

New York's Karl-Anthony Towns had 13 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals, while Josh Hart added 12 points, nine rebounds, five assists and four steals for a Knicks team that has not been beaten in a month.

"Our mindset hasn't changed," Brunson said.

"We're trying to get better every single day. We're trying to learn from winning.

"There's a lot of things we can get better at. There's a lot of things we can control, a lot of mental errors that we need to clean up, but we're always just looking for ways to try and get better."

"I guess you could say momentum carried over (from Game 1)," Anunoby said.

"We try to play the right way every game, but maybe that momentum carried over a little bit."

The Knicks were a 91-82 ahead entering the fourth quarter on Saturday and stretched it 110-93 in the closing minutes, before completing their fifth road triumph in a row.

"It's just executing the game plan on both sides of the floor, playing the right way, moving the ball then getting stops on defense," Anunoby said.

It sounds simple, but Knicks coach Mike Brown noted, "there's nothing easy about this", adding having "a little bit of luck" helps as well. "They're doing the things I always talk about: they're holding each other accountable, they're believing in the process and they're playing with a competitive spirit that is unmatched," Brown said.