With just under eight minutes left in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Tuesday, the Cleveland Cavaliers appeared poised to steal home-court advantage from the New York Knicks.
A James Harden free throw put the Cavs up 93-71 with 7:52 remaining in the fourth quarter. From there, the Knicks outscored the Cavs 30-8 in regulation to tie the game at 101 and send it into overtime. The Knicks wound up winning by double digits.
After the game, Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell offered a blunt assessment of what happened.
If the Cavaliers can’t shake off their historic collapse and go on to lose this series, their Game 1 meltdown could wind up being an organizational turning point.
Cavs’ Future Remains Uncertain
The Cavaliers acquired Harden at this year’s trade deadline hoping that he could help get them over the hump.
In one sense, he did. They hadn’t been to the conference finals without LeBron James on their roster since 1991-92. Harden also came up big in their Game 5 overtime win over the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, as he finished with a team-high 30 points, eight rebounds, six assists, three blocks and one steal in 43 minutes.
Harden was a no-show in Game 7 of the conference semifinals—he had only nine points on 2-of-10 shooting—but a bench eruption from Sam Merrill helped get the Cavs over the hump. However, the downside of Harden was on full display in Game 1 against the Knicks.
Knicks head coach Mike Brown openly admitted that his squad began hunting Harden on defense to mount their furious comeback. According to ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill, Knicks star point guard Jalen Brunson “finished the game shooting 7-of-11 when being guarded by Harden as compared with 8-of-18 when being defended by anyone else.”
Harden has had plenty of electric playoff performances over the years, but he’s also had his fair share of disappearing acts. His backcourt teammate is starting to take after him in that regard.
Mitchell has been sensational at times during this year’s playoffs, including a 35-point, 10-rebound outing in the Cavs’ Game 3 win over the Pistons and a 43-point eruption in Game 4. However, he also finished with only 18 points on 6-of-20 shooting in the Cavs’ blowout Game 6 home loss when they were up 3-2 in the series and could have closed the Pistons out instead of sending it back to Detroit for Game 7.
After the Cavs’ Game 1 meltdown against the Knicks, John Schuhmann of NBA.com shared a stat that doesn’t inspire much confidence in their late-game offense.
The Cavs did have to integrate Harden on the fly this year after acquiring him at the trade deadline. Perhaps with a full offseason, training camp and regular season together, he and Mitchell will develop better synergy and the Cavs’ crunch-time offense won’t be quite as prone to getting stuck in mud.
That assumes both Harden and Mitchell are back in Cleveland next season.
Harden has a $42.3 million player option for the 2026-27 campaign that he’s expected to decline this summer. Ahead of the Cavs’ Game 7 win over the Pistons, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported “there is an understanding that the Cavs plan to work out a new deal to retain Harden” on a multiyear deal.
Will the Cavs have second thoughts about that after watching Brunson flambé him on defense? More importantly, will Mitchell have second thoughts about committing to Cleveland long-term?
Mitchell’s Inflection Point
Mitchell will become eligible for a four-year extension this offseason that’s projected to be worth more than $270 million. However, Windhorst noted he could make even more money by bypassing an extension and becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2027.
Mitchell entered the NBA in 2017, so he’s just finishing up his ninth year in the league. If he signs an extension this summer, it can’t start higher than 30% of the 2027-28 salary cap. But if he waits until next offseason to sign a new deal, he’ll be eligible for a contract starting at 35% of the salary cap since he’ll have 10 years of NBA experience by then.
Granted, it’s fair to wonder whether the Cavs—or any other team, for that matter—will be willing to offer Mitchell a full 35% max if he does wait until 2027.
Mitchell is turning 30 in September, so whichever team signs him to his next contract will be paying for his post-prime years. He’s still one of the most dynamic scorers in the NBA, as evidenced by the 27.9 points per game that he averaged this year on 48.3% shooting, but the floor can fall out quickly on undersized guards as their athleticism begins to wane.
The Cavs also have financial concerns to consider as they weigh their core moving forward. They were the only team this season to finish above the second apron, which means they won’t be allowed to trade their 2033 first-round pick in the near future.
If/when Harden opts out, the Cavs figure to sign him to a multiyear deal at a lower annual salary to help relieve some of their second-apron issues. But they also have Evan Mobley on a 30% max deal after he won Defensive Player of the Year last season, which was a particularly costly development for them. Jarrett Allen is just starting the three-year, $90.7 million extension that he signed in August 2024, too.
If the Cavs do wiggle their way below the second apron, they could aggregate contracts in trades, which could allow them to explore a blockbuster shakeup this offseason. (Could Giannis Antetokounmpo be a realistic option for them?) The odds of them exploring deals like that may only increase if they can’t shake off their Game 1 collapse against the Knicks.
Making the conference finals in the NBA is an achievement in and of itself. The Charlotte Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans have never done so. The Washington Wizards haven’t been there since the 1970s. The Philadelphia 76ers haven’t been back since the 2000-01 season. The Sacramento Kings, Brooklyn Nets, Utah Jazz, Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic and Chicago Bulls all haven’t been back for 15-plus years, either.
But the Cavs’ goal isn’t just to make it to the conference finals. It’s to win a championship.
The Cavs were on the verge of giving themselves a leg up over the Knicks on Tuesday… until they weren’t. If they wind up losing this series, they might look back at their Game 1 meltdown as the impetus for a significant offseason move.
Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM. All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.
Follow Bryan on Bluesky.
