Few surprises in reactions to Cleveland Cavaliers losing to New York Knicks
In the Land, but not just Cleveland, but Northeast Ohio, the general consensus is off with their heads.
What’re the Clippers doing? They need a coaching change? Ty Lue want to come home? #Cavs
— GoodBeast (@crouch___) April 27, 2023
Apparently, a lot of people watched the New York Knicks close out the Cavs Wednesday night in a dispiriting fashion in their first round NBA Playoffs series.
Words like “soft” are being tossed out on social media and all of a sudden in some quarters the entire team should be blown up.
Tough enough? #Cavs weren't physically or mentally in #NBAPlayoffs & #Knicks exposed flaws. "Losses like these make you aware of the areas you need to improve in. They make you understand all the things that everybody tells you about playoff basketball." https://t.co/zx9G8kEQby
— Nate Ulrich (@ByNateUlrich) April 27, 2023
The lack of toughness in this particular instance might be apropos considering the Knicks beat the Cavs up in five games to advance to the second round, but blowing everything up? Naaahh.
The current situation is akin to dropping F-bombs after suffering a painful injury. It’s gotten over and hopefully rationality creeps in. It may take a while, but it happens eventually.
A lot of adjectives have been used to describe what happened against the Knicks. Few want to give the benefit of a doubt and chalk it up to youth and inexperience.
You know what eventually compensates for youth and inexperience? Getting your butt kicked and remembering what that pain felt like and learning from it. It’s the reality of sports and by extension life. Was it reality to expect the Cavs to get past the Knicks in the first round? The Knicks won the season series 3-1. Fans generally don't broker in reality.
@ESPNCleveland the biggest disappointment in this #Cavs playoff loss is that the no.1 seed is on the brink of elimination. This was setup for them to walk into the Eastern Conference Finals!
— Greg (@JumboHomeLoan) April 27, 2023
The regular season doesn’t dictate what happens in the playoffs. Two versions of the game are played at different times of the year with the playoffs being a do-or-die situation where a team’s intensity has to be ratcheted up. Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and much of the Cavs team had not experienced that level of passion. And although Donovan Mitchell may have while in Utah, he can’t just pass that feeling on merely by his presence alone.
By all accounts the Cavs need a deeper bench. That was a significant question mark heading into this series and is a legitimate concern. As for other questions: they’re best answered through the lens of time. Thankfully, some get that.
I can’t believe the turning on the #Cavs organization from regular season to this post season showing. I expected people to be mad and disappointed but holy moly. People are ready to burn down Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse
— CLE in the US for Now (@CavsPulse) April 27, 2023
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Fans direct post-series saltiness in Cleveland Cavaliers direction