The New York Knicks had the opportunity to seize a convincing 2-0 lead with the series shifting back to Madison Square Garden, but they simply could not keep up with the Cleveland Cavaliers' firepower. After a solid performance that led to a back-and-forth first quarter affair, the Knicks simply ran out of gas in the second quarter, digging themselves into a 20-point hole at halftime.
The thing is, the Knicks didn't particularly shoot the ball a lot worse than they did during their victory in the series opener, especially from deep. They have yet to surpass the 30-percent mark on triples, which makes scoring an extremely difficult endeavor in today's NBA. But the Cavs essentially stepped it up on defense, befitting of a team that posted the best defensive rating in the regular season.
Only Immanuel Quickley, Josh Hart, and Mitchell Robinson shot over 50 percent from the field (and they took just 11 of the Knicks' 79 shot attempts), and in a game where putting the ball through the hoop is the goal, that's not ideal.
Again, it should go without saying by now that in a team sport, one cannot pin suffering a blowout defeat on the shoulders of just one person. The Knicks lost this one as a unit, so it seems disingenuous to play the blame game especially with them still being in a good position with the series tied at 1-1 heading into home.
But the opportunity was right there for the Knicks to take a convincing 2-0 series lead and they blew it. And some bear more responsibility for that than others.
Here are the three Knicks who must shoulder most of the blame for their Game 2 loss against the Cavs.
RJ Barrett
It's amazing how RJ Barrett could have been the centerpiece of a trade that would have brought Donovan Mitchell to the Big Apple. Not only would the Knicks been a much better team that's less prone to offensive lulls, their playoff opponent would not have the services of one of the best shot creators in the NBA.
Alas, Barrett remains a huge fixture in the Knicks lineup, and as a show of faith in his potential growth, the Knicks rewarded him with a rookie max extension over the offseason. However, the 22-year old did not take the requisite leap that makes him worth such a huge contract.
RJ Barrett remains one of the most inefficient volume shooters in the NBA, even with the addition of Jalen Brunson relieving him of some offensive burden. His three-point shooting got even worse, and he simply hasn't been the third option the Knicks have needed alongside Brunson and Julius Randle.
Of course, Barrett is still so young, and it's not too late for him to improve. But his playoff performances against the Cavs have been extremely worrying. After beginning the series with a 2-12 shooting night, Barrett followed up that stinker with yet another horrid performance, going 4-13 (0-2 from deep) during a night where an explosion could have gone a long way towards propping up a struggling Knicks offense.
RJ Barrett will have to step up, and perhaps he will when he plays in front of his home fans in Game 3.
Jalen Brunson
Jalen Brunson has been an electric performer in the playoffs ever since he broke out with the Dallas Mavericks last year. And that continued in Game 1, as Brunson made timely shots in a manner that's sure to give Donovan Mitchell some war flashbacks of their first-round battle last season.
But as deserving of praise as Brunson was in Game 1, especially late in the game, he also deserves some criticism for his rough Game 2. He went just 5-17 from the field, including 1-8 from deep. The Knicks' point guard is responsible for setting the tone offensively for his team, so chucking up bricks left and right contributed to the clankfest the entire team found themselves in on Tuesday night.
Jalen Brunson definitely has it in him to turn things around quickly, as he's shown time and time again that he steps up when it matters most. So chalk this one up to a one-off struggle.
Tom Thibodeau
There was nothing too inexplicable with what head coach Tom Thibodeau did, tactically or even rotation-wise (when a comeback was still possible), as he sticked to his guns with the Knicks trying to mount a comeback.
However, it's Thibodeau's stubbornness that could have cost the Knicks dearly. With the game out of reach, Thibodeau left Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson in the game. He took them out with just 2:22 to go in the contest and the Knicks down by 20. Randle even fell hard on his back; thankfully, Randle didn't suffer an injury that could have drastically cut the Knicks' chances of advancing to the next round.
Tom Thibodeau may have provided his justification for his decision to do so, but it's close to coaching malpractice to run the risk of injury especially with the series being in its early stages.
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