The Cavaliers were every bit as disgusted, discouraged and disheartened as the 19,784 fans who watched them blow a 22-point lead in their 102-97 loss to the New York Knicks on Monday night at The Q.
After rolling to a 52-30 lead on a 3-pointer by C.J. Miles midway through the second quarter, the young Cavs rolled over and were outscored the rest of the way, 72-45, by the veteran Knicks, who snapped a 10-game losing streak at The Q.
“We’re not that good yet to be able to turn that switch on and off,” Miles said as the Cavs dropped to 20-40. “You live and learn, but we should have learned by now.”
Indeed, after Monday’s loss, the Cavs were just 16-14 in games in which they were tied or leading at halftime, including a 9-8 mark at home. That means there’s about a 50-50 chance they’re going to lose a game after taking a lead in the first half. And, believe it or not, Monday’s lead was not the biggest they’ve lost this year. They lost a 26-point first-half lead in a 107-105 loss at Phoenix on Nov. 9.
But after allowing the Knicks to close to within 61-49 at halftime, the Cavs gave up a 10-0 run to open the second half and soon found themselves tied at 64 with 4:04 left in the third quarter.
“When they went on that 10-0 run, all of us forgot what got us the lead,” said Kyrie Irving, who was back in the Cavs lineup after missing three games with a sore/hyperextended right knee. “Our identity has to be our defensive presence, and it wasn’t there in the second half.”
Neither was their offense. The Cavs, missing starters Dion Waiters and Tyler Zeller, who were ill, made just 1 of their first 11 shots in the third quarter, 4-of-18 overall, for 22.2 percent. They were outscored in the third quarter, 21-13, and in the second half, 53-36.
The Knicks, who shot 43.6 percent in the first half, hit 48.7 percent in the second half while playing without leading scorer Carmelo Anthony, who hurt his right knee and left the game just as the Cavs reached that 22-point lead.
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