Josh Hart scored a playoff-career-high 26 points and the Knicks beat the Cavaliers in Game 2 to take a 2-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals. New York has now won nine straight games through the first two games of the series.
That run has been built on a rare level of control. Over 12 playoff games, the Knicks have outscored opponents by 18.4 points per game, a margin that would stand as the best in NBA playoff history if it holds. Cleveland, meanwhile, is back home for Games 3 and 4 after dropping the first two games and squandering a 22-point fourth-quarter lead in Game 1.
The Cavaliers have not been outclassed in every possession. Tracking data shows they have actually generated higher-quality looks in the conference finals than they did through the first two rounds, and their expected three-point return has been far better than the numbers on the scoreboard. Based on shot quality, James Harden, Sam Merrill, Dennis Schröder, Max Strus and Jaylon Tyson should be a combined 18-for-48 from 3-point range, or 38%. They are actually 11-for-48, a 23% clip that has left Cleveland searching for shots to fall.
That disconnect has shown up in the way the Cavaliers are using Evan Mobley. He scored 14 points in the first half of Game 2, then did not attempt a single shot after halftime. In this series, Mobley has taken 10 of his 24 shots in the paint, 42% of his total attempts, a smaller share than he has had in the first two rounds and during the regular season. The numbers point to a team still looking for the right mix, even as the losses keep piling up.
Game 3 is Saturday at 8 ET on ABC, and Cleveland will need a cleaner offensive night to make the series competitive. The Cavaliers have been in a 2-0 hole before, but the pressure is sharper now because the Knicks have already turned two games into a commanding lead and have done it with balance, defense and a margin that keeps growing. For Cleveland, the next home game is not just about staying alive. It is about finding enough made shots to make this series feel like one again.
