BROOKLYN, NY — Postseason basketball is a different animal — and Brooklyn is a vicious, battle-hardened beast. Consider Tuesday night a tough lesson for the young Cleveland Cavaliers.
In the first game of the play-in tournament, the Cavs suffered a straight loss to the Nets, 115-108.
Brooklyn advances to the playoffs as No. 7 in the Eastern Conference and builds a streak with Boston. Cleveland’s playoff hopes come on Friday night — an all-or-nothing game against either Atlanta or Charlotte for the eighth seed. One more try. How much did you learn on Nets Tuesday?
“It’s part of our learning process, understanding those moments and finding your composure and balance,” Cavs coach JB Bickerstaff said after the loss. “It just took us a little too long to get there. We did it in the second, third and fourth quarters, I thought we played really good basketball.”
At the charged Barclays Center, as four of the five starters made their first appearance on the postseason stage, the Cavs looked upset early on. By the end of the first quarter, Brooklyn, coming with the intensity required, had already doubled Cleveland and built a 20-point lead. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving — the Nets’ superstar duo with championships tied to their resumes — accounted for 38 of the team’s 40 points in the quarter. The nets shot 70.8% from the field. Welcome to the off-season.
It was the standard early Brooklyn haymaker. The Cavs appeared to be fighting outside of their weight class.
But the Nets, as they like to do, opened the door in the second quarter. While Durant rested, the Cavs went on a 9-2 run. Brooklyn went off the field 1 of 7 during an ugly five-minute stretch. They only managed four points in the first seven minutes of the second quarter. Only had eight after more than nine minutes.
Despite that lousy offense, the Cavs were only able to cut six points from the Nets’ lead — an ominous sign.
Brooklyn extended their lead to 22 points early in the third quarter. But the Cavs didn’t give up. You don’t have the whole season. They fight, scuffle and fight – even if they are clearly understaffed. That is her character trait.
With about four minutes left, Cleveland, just six points down, had a chance to put even more pressure on the heavily favored Nets. But Durant held off the spirited Cavs with back-to-back clutch buckets to push the lead into double digits — and essentially end the show.
Irving, who won a championship with Cleveland in 2016, had 34 points remaining with 12 assists in 42 minutes. He made his first 12 shots before rattling out a corner 3-pointer in the second half. Irving scored 11 of Brooklyn’s 17 points in the second quarter. He had 20 in the half and hit all nine of his shot attempts. It’s the most non-missed field goals in the franchise’s last 25 seasons.
“I always say about Kyrie in a March Madness, kind of a one-game situation that’s hard to bet against,” said former teammate Kevin Love. “I’ve seen this movie before, but I still think there are just times when he comes out and goes crazy, and that’s why he’s a future Hall of Famer. You just have to take your hat off to him. He hit some really hard, contested shots today. KD always, but being 6-11 and he shoots right over you is a different story. Hit some shots where you just shake your head and say no matter what type of defense you play, they work.”
Durant contributed 25 points and 11 assists. Bruce Brown added 18 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Andre Drummond finished the tournament with 16 points and eight boards.
The Cavs were led by all-star point guard Darius Garland, who went into takeover mode in the second half and started the furious rally. Garland poured 24 of his team-best 34 in the second half, including the team’s front nine in the fourth quarter.
“I learned a lot from that game,” Garland admitted. “Just try to bring the same intensity as in the second, third and fourth quarters.”
Rookie Evan Mobley looked unfazed by the bright lights, grabbing 19 points from seven rebounds. Veteran Love, one of the few players on the roster with postseason experience, contributed 14 points and 13 rebounds from the bench.
It was a brave attempt to have two possessions from 22 points behind. But deep holes crush in the postseason. Cannot be behind more than 47 minutes and expect to win.
It’s something Cleveland needs to fix before Friday.
“We keep talking about it, needing to learn and have that experience and take those hard lessons,” Bickerstaff said. “Brooklyn, with his experience, came out with that intensity and ferocity that we’re talking about this first quarter. It took us a bit to get knocked out before we flipped the switch. You have to be perfect against a team like that. We’re playing like the last three quarters, we’re a pretty good basketball team. We just have to consider how important our starts are and what’s at stake.
“We can certainly take the improvement from the first quarter to the second, third and fourth quarter and build on it.”
heavy hearts
There was a lot more going on in Brooklyn than a Tuesday basketball game. Early in the morning, a shooting on the New York subway devastated the area. At least 10 people were shot dead by a gunman at the 36th Street station, about half a mile from the Nets’ practice facility in Brooklyn. In all, at least 29 people were hospitalized for gunshot wounds, smoke inhalation and other conditions.
“First and foremost, what matters is how disappointing and sad it was what happened,” Bickerstaff said, explaining that the Cavaliers took a different route than usual to Tuesday night’s game. “You try to go through your day, but it puts a lot into perspective about how precious every single moment is. They empathize with those involved and those affected.
“It’s a disgusting act, it pains us all to think about it, just trying to go to work or school that day, whatever it may have been, and then you have to face it.”
Next
The Cavs will host the second play-in game against either Atlanta or Charlotte on Friday night. Tipoff time to be determined.
–
Get the latest Cavs articles: Here you can order Cleveland Cavaliers gear online including jerseys, shirts, hats, 2016 NBA Champions gear and more.
If you or a loved one have questions or need to speak to a gambling professional, call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit 1800gambler.net for more information.
More Cavaliers coverage
Garland’s play-in approach: “I’m going out tonight and I’m winning”
Cavaliers appoint Barlage as CEO of Rock Entertainment Group
Jump-in Play-In: Darcy Cartoon
What you should know before the play-in game
Is the play-in tournament part of the playoffs? (Opinion poll)
Which Is Better For Franchises: Playoff Series Or Lottery Picks? podcast
Season was a massive breakthrough: Pluto