INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Less than 24 hours after bowing out in five games to the New York Knicks in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, reality has hit home for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The season, as fun as it was, is over.
“It’s painful always when you finish the season, and I [thought] we had a good chance this season to really go on a deep run in the playoffs, but it is what it is,” 12-year veteran Ricky Rubio said. “I hope the lesson that we learned this season helps build the years to come. I think last year this team lost in the Play-In [Tournament] and then came back with a 50 plus win season and that's not easy to do. That's a hell of a season.”
Sure, winning 51 games and qualifying for the playoffs for the first time without LeBron James on the roster since the 1990’s was quite the accomplishment for the organization, but the domination by the Knicks has left a sour taste for players, the organization and fans.
“Definitely didn't expect to be done this early,” Caris LeVert said. “Obviously it was a great regular season for us.”
The playoffs were a different story, and very short.
“We've accomplished so much as this group and [I’m] proud of the way we fought and competed throughout the whole season,” All-Star Donovan Mitchell, who averaged 23.2 points per game in the series but was held under 20 points twice, said. “The way we ended sucks, but ultimately you wish you could be better as a whole and we weren't.”
The Knicks beat the Cavs at their own game – 50-50 balls, rebounding, second chance opportunities and they took the physicality to a level J.B. Bickerstaff’s team just wasn’t able or prepared to meet.
“I don’t think we got out toughed like that this season until this series,” forward Isaac Okoro said.
“It [was] the same thing over and over, just out rebounded out toughed. They were more physical, just each and every game.”
Toughness is atop the most glaring issues exposed during the series that saw Cleveland win just one game and New York beat them the same way four times.
For whatever reason the Cavs had no counter punch.
“I don't think you could adjust physicality,” Okoro said. “You just have to have it. You got to have toughness. You have to be, it's a mental thing. It's not something you just physically have. I mean, yeah, you could be strong, whatever, but mentally you just got to want it more.”
Okoro and Jarrett Allen bear the brunt of the criticism following the series because of their difficulties handling the Knicks physicality on the glass.
In the series the Knicks won the rebounding battle 227-186. New York’s defense outrebounded the Cavs offense 152-46 and offensively the Knicks came down with 75 offensive rebounds while the Cavs collected 140 caroms defensively.
“We all know the elephant in the room, the Tyrannosaurus Rex in the room is the damn offensive rebounds,” Allen said. “It's just something that we felt like we could have done better. We could have gave a little more effort in, and we just have to learn it that way.”
New York scored 91 second chance points off those offensive rebounds to 55 for Cleveland and the Knicks, who advanced to face the Miami Heat in the conference semifinals, won the battle in the paint 232-216.
The Knicks bench was also better to the tune of 145-102.
To a man, just about everyone on the Cavs points to the physicality of New York as to why they were unable to play their brand of basketball, which had been built on grit and toughness.
“I think it's experience,” Allen said. “I think it’s a situation that we’ve been all looking forward to for since we all got to Cleveland. We knew it was going to happen eventually. It was even for me, the lights were brighter than expected.”
The playoff loss is a wakeup call, but it doesn’t change their outlook.
“I don't think it changes the view of myself or anybody in the locker room,” Mitchell said. “We just didn't do what we were supposed to do.
“We failed, but we continue to push and continue to step and continue to build, and I'm excited to build with this group.”
Going into the series the Cavs believed they had the better team but after watching those five games, it was impossible to come to that conclusion.
“We felt like we are a better team than the Knicks, but they beat us so they’re a better team and they beat us because they didn’t have more talent,” Rubio said. “They beat us because they wanted it more than us. And I think this team had something special that when we were out there, we were competing against anybody, and we didn't do it this series.”
Getting bounced so quickly should serve as motivation to turn the pain they feel today into joy a year from now.
“For every successful team, you're going to have your setbacks and one of the hardest and the best ways to learn is through failure,” Allen said. “It didn't end how we wanted to. We didn't do things that we wanted to do, but it was a big learning lesson.”
