Getty Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrates after scoring during the second quarter of Game One of the Eastern Conference First Round Playoffs against the New York Knicks.
Saturday evening, the New York Knicks took care of business whilst on the road and stole home-court advantage away from the fourth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers. They went on to win Game 1 of their first-round playoff bout by a final score of 101-97.
Despite a high-end performance by star guard Donovan Mitchell, the Cavs were unable to hold onto their late-game lead attained at around the two-minute mark left in regulation and, in turn, find themselves gearing up for Tuesday’s Game 2 down 1-0 in this best-of-seven series.
While a loss is always tough to endure, during his post-game media session Mitchell noted that this game against the Knicks could be viewed as somewhat of a learning experience for his rather inexperienced Cleveland squad.
“Look at this game alone, from start to finish we understood what it took…there are things we can clean up and be better at,” Mitchell said. “At the end of the day, I think, you know, it sucks to lose the first game at home and lose home court, but I think there’s a lot of teaching moments in this…We’ll be better. We’ll fix it. We’ll watch the film. We’ve got two days to get right and we got to protect home court.”
Donovan Mitchell on the Cavs’s Game 1 loss: “It sucks to lose the first game at home and lose home court, but I think there’s a lot of teaching moments in this.” #Cavs
Despite the loss, Donovan Mitchell was absolutely electric for the Cavaliers, as he would finish the night with a game-high 38 points to go along with 8 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, and a block while shooting 46.7% from the field and 37.5% from distance.
Julius Randle Credits Knicks Coach for Stellar Return
After having been sidelined for two weeks of action due to an ankle sprain, power forward Julius Randle made his return to the hardwood for Game 1 Saturday night and, essentially, produced as if he hadn’t missed a game.
Following his big performance, in an on-court post-game interview the two-time All-Star credited Knicks associate head coach Johnnie Bryant for his contributions in getting him ready for the critical outing.
“Johnnie Bryant put me through the wringer over this past week, and he really made it tough for me,” Randle told MSG Network’s Rebecca Haarlow. “He prepared me for this, and I’m good to go.”
.@RebeccaHaarlow speaks with Julius Randle following a 19 point performance in the Knicks Game 1 win over the Cavaliers
Though he admitted during the interview that it was “tough just coming back with my conditioning and stuff,” Julius Randle served as a pivotal contributor in this Knicks win.
The big man registered 19 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals in 33 minutes played and secured a clutch offensive rebound that led to the two game-sealing free throws by Quentin Grimes during the final seconds of regulation.
Knicks Coach Tom Thibodeau Sounds Off on Josh Hart
Following the contest, Tom Thibodeau dished out nothing but praise when it came to trade deadline acquisition Josh Hart, as the head coach went on a rant during his post-game media session discussing why exactly he believes the wing has been such a great addition to this Knicks team.
“That’s what I love about him,” Thibodeau said. “When I say playmaker, I’m not talking about a traditional sense of the past playmakers with the game leads. So if you need a big shot, he can provide that; if you need a big rebound, he can provide that; if you need a stop defensively, he can provide that; he goes for a loose ball, that’s what he is. He’s a playmaker. He’s gonna make hustle plays, make tough plays. He’s a great competitor. And he just plays to win. There’s no agenda other than winning.”
WHAT A GAME for @joshhart‼️
Playing in the first postseason game of his career, Josh Hart finished his debut off with a tremendous all-around stat line of 17 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal while shooting an incredibly efficient 72.7% from the field.