Knicks completely changed the series and Donovan Mitchell knows exactly when it happened

Donovan Mitchell knows exactly when the Eastern Conference Finals slipped away from his Cleveland team. The Cavaliers blew a 22-point fourth-quarter lead in Game 1.

That collapse triggered a losing streak the Cavaliers have been unable to stop. New York won Games 2 and 3 to build a commanding 3-0 series lead.

Mitchell refused to call his team overmatched after the 121-108 Game 3 defeat on Saturday. The All-Star guard believes Cleveland is much closer than the deficit suggests.

The Cavaliers shot 12-of-41 from deep and 12-of-19 from the foul line Saturday. Evan Mobley scored 24 points but shot 1-of-6 from three-point range.

Mitchell kept returning to the Game 1 collapse as the true turning point of the series. “I hate to harp on it, but we were up 22,” Mitchell said.

Donovan Mitchell pinpoints the one night that changed everything

Mitchell offered a blunt assessment of what went wrong for Cleveland. “Don’t lose Game 1 after being up 22. Changes the entire dynamic of the series,” Mitchell said.

Atkinson acknowledged his team has been statistically unlucky with its shooting throughout. “I think we won the expected shooting percentage all three games. But there is expected and there’s real,” Atkinson said.

Jarrett Allen connected the ongoing shooting slump directly to Cleveland’s defensive breakdowns on Saturday. “When you don’t hit shots, your defense suffers. That’s just how a player’s mentality is,” Allen said.

Cleveland entered Game 3 shooting eight percentage points below what analytics predicted based on shot quality. Open looks remain available but the shots continue failing to drop.

The Knicks have won 10 consecutive postseason games and can complete the sweep Monday. No team in NBA history has recovered from a 3-0 series deficit in the playoffs.

Mitchell insisted his team still has fight left despite the daunting historical odds ahead. “We have an opportunity to get Game 4,” Mitchell said. Cleveland must win Monday night to extend the series.

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