CLEVELAND — Not even Taylor Swift winking for the camera from her courtside seat and Cleveland Heights native Travis Kelce subsequently chugging a beer could breathe life into the Cavaliers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Knicks.
The Cavs never mounted a rally after Swift and Kelce were featured on the scoreboard at Rocket Arena between the third and fourth quarters, but don’t blame the engaged power couple of music and NFL fame. The Cavs set themselves up for failure by underachieving throughout the NBA playoffs and felt the consequences in a 121-108 loss on Saturday, May 23.
The Cavs never led in Game 3, allowing Knicks fans who invaded Northeast Ohio to flip the atmosphere during the fourth quarter into a New York love fest and reminding at least one celebrity during a high-profile date night he’s still a tortured Cleveland sports fan at his core.
Now the Cavs’ playoff lives are hanging by a thread. They trail the Knicks 3-0 in the best-of-seven series. No NBA team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series, and Game 4 will be played in Cleveland under the threat of a sweep. It’s scheduled to tip off at 8 p.m. Monday, May 25.
Cavaliers are being haunted by missed opportunities earlier in the 2026 NBA playoffs
There isn’t a great disparity in talent between the fourth-seeded Cavs and third-seeded Knicks, yet Cleveland is on the brink of its season ending while New York is one win away from advancing to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.
The Cavs are running on fumes. Their legs are heavy, and their shots aren’t falling. They look like a team satisfied with reaching this point in the postseason, even though All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell contends he has not sensed anything of the sort. The Knicks are hungrier and playing with more force, energy and effort. The Knicks have had superior execution and coaching.
The ripple effect of playing seven-game series against the Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons has caught up to the Cavs. The Cavs blew chances to end both series sooner. Game 6 in Toronto and Game 6 against the Pistons in Cleveland stand out as glaring missed opportunities. On the other hand, the Knicks took care of business earlier in the playoffs, defeating the Atlanta Hawks in six games and then sweeping the Philadelphia 76ers 4-0. They’re riding a 10-game winning streak.
Entering the conference finals, the Cavs had played 14 games and the Knicks 10 this postseason. Those 14 Cavs playoff games occurred in a span of 30 days (April 18-May 17). Those 10 Knicks playoff games occurred in a span of 23 days (April 18-May 10). The Cavs had one day off between Game 7 against the Pistons on May 17 and Game 1 against the Knicks on May 19. The Knicks had eight days off between Game 4 against the Sixers on May 10 and Game 1 against the Cavs on May 19.
When Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals arrived at Madison Square Garden, the Cavs blew a 22-point fourth quarter lead and lost in overtime. They have appeared to be mentally and physically exhausted ever since then.
In Game 3, the Cavs went 42-of-84 shooting (50%) from the field (12 of 41 on 3-pointers, 29.3%), and the Knicks went 43-of-77 shooting (55.8%) from the floor (11 of 28 on 3s, 39.3%). The Cavs lost the rebounding (37-34) and turnover (18-15) battles. They were outscored 17-4 in fast-break points.
Don’t coddle the Cavs about being fatigued, though, because it’s their fault. They know it, too.
- “We did it to ourselves, so we can’t be mad now,” Mitchell said.
- “There’s definitely a toll there, but you’re in the Eastern Conference Finals, so there’s no excuses right now,” forward Evan Mobley said.
- “It’s been wearing on us for a while, but we can’t use it as an excuse. We put ourselves in this position,” center Jarrett Allen said.
Knicks fans party at Rocket Arena as Cavs fall to 3-0 series deficit
The way in which the Cavs let their 2025-26 season be placed on life support is devastatingly disappointing.
The Cavs trailed 2-0 in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Pistons but rallied to win the series. Cavs owner Dan Gilbert paid for more than 20 buses occupied by Cleveland fans and team staff members to attend Game 7 in Detroit. Those loyalists filled Little Caesars Arena with “Let’s Go Cavs” chants as their favorite team dominated to advance beyond the second round of the playoffs for the first time in four tries since the franchise traded for Mitchell in 2022.
However, the Cavs did not show similar fight while encountering a 2-0 deficit against the Knicks. New York led 37-27 at the end of the first quarter, 60-54 at halftime and 91-82 at the end of the third quarter. The Cavs tied the score twice in the second quarter and then trailed for the entire second half. The Knicks led by as many as 17 points in the fourth quarter.
There were thousands of Knicks fans in attendance, reminiscent of thousands of Chicago Cubs enthusiasts swarming Cleveland for Game 7 of the 2016 World Series. Beacon Journal sports writer Ryan Lewis covered both events and is convinced Knicks fans made their in-game presence felt more at Rocket Arena than Cubs fans did at Progressive Field a decade ago.
Late in the fourth quarter, New York fans shouted “Knicks in four” in unison and serenaded point guard Jalen Brunson with “MVP” chants. Many Cleveland fans fled for the exits after Brunson made a layup to put the Knicks ahead 118-102 with 1:49 left in the fourth quarter. He scored a game-high 30 points.
Mitchell finished with 23 points on 9-of-21 shooting from the field (3 of 10 on 3-pointers), trailing only Mobley’s 24 for the highest scoring total among Cavs players.
Then Mitchell was left to defend Cavs fans after Knicks fans partied in enemy territory. It was some of the best defense the Cavs have played during the Eastern Conference Finals.
“I’m from New York. This isn’t a shock to me,” Mitchell said. “They do it in every arena. It’s like [Dallas] Cowboys fans. It’s just who they are. I don’t think it’s a Cleveland thing. It wasn’t just us. You look at Philly. Knicks fans are — and I was one back in the day — that had nothing to do with what we got going. Cleveland has the best fans in the world. I stand on that.
“That doesn’t affect it. That doesn’t label who Cleveland is. I have nothing but love for the fans in Cleveland, and we didn’t get it done for our home crowd tonight. We didn’t get it done, which enables the Knicks fans to go off like they did. If we get it done, then they’re silent, right? So, we didn’t do our part. When we ran out, they were loud, and Cleveland fans were behind us. But we didn’t do our part, and that’s the result.”
The Cavs didn’t do their part at times earlier this postseason or in Game 3 against the Knicks.
With their backs against the wall, the most memorable moment the Cavs created was showing Swift and Kelce on the scoreboard.
Nate Ulrich is the sports columnist of the Akron Beacon Journal and a sports features writer. Nate can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavs set themselves up for failure vs Knicks in conference finals