For much of Game 2, everything was going according to plan for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Despite being without Evan Mobley, Darius Garland, and De’Andre Hunter, the Cavs were in command, thanks in large part to another bonkers performance from Donovan Mitchell, who finished with 48 points on the night after making a concerted effort to attack the basket. But in the end, the Cavs blew it in the final 30 seconds of the game — with Max Strus’ turnover on the inbounds play while up by three setting in motion the events that led to Tyrese Haliburton’s game-winner in a 120-119 loss for Cleveland.
It’s quite a shame that it’s Strus of all people who was charged with a very costly turnover after he stepped up all night long to give Mitchell and the Cavs some scoring support amid the absences of two of the team’s best players. Now down 2-0 after two games at home, the Cavs are in real danger of seeing their dream season come to a premature end.
All Strus can do is reflect at how high the standards the Cavs must set for themselves if they were to save their season after a devastating Game 2 loss.
“A minute left, up seven, can’t lose that one. Gotta be better,” Strus said following the Cavs’ loss, per Danny Cunningham of The Inside Shot.
To mount a deep playoff run that culminates in winning the NBA championship, teams must hold themselves to the highest of standards. The margins separating a win and loss are razor-thin, and the Cavs simply cannot let a seemingly comfortable lead in the final minute or so of the ballgame slip away from their fingertips.
At the end of the day, the Cavs’ season is far from over. They must enter Game 3, however, with the mindset that their season could very well be coming to an end if they don’t win.
Cavs figure out the hard way that no lead is safe
Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
In the NBA playoffs, especially in the second round, there isn’t much separating the remaining teams in terms of roster quality. Thus, there is no such thing as a safe lead, and the Cavs learned that the hard way after relinquishing a seven-point lead with around 57 seconds left in Game 2 against the Pacers.
Perhaps in Game 3, things will be more smooth-sailing for the Cavs on the road, provided, of course, that Evan Mobley and Darius Garland return. They must shake off the emotional impact of this stunning Game 2 loss and have the memory of a goldfish moving forward.
