Cavs Blame Jalen Brunson Injury For Loss to Knicks?

"I thought we started off pretty slow," Mobley said, per Bally Sports Ohio. "The stoppage in play early in the game kind of got the rhythm a little off but we've got to be able to handle that." 

The Cavs (39-21) were likewise missing one of their star attractions, as Donovan Mitchell was sidelined with a knee ailment of his own. Cleveland trailed by nine after the first quarter but had the lead by halftime. Attempts to pull away from the Knicks, however, proved futile, as New York hit 16 three-pointers en route to victory.

Partly blaming an opposing All-Star's injury for a loss, especially one sustained less than a minute into the game, seems like a bizarre choice but Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff had a possibly more plausible theory in his own postgame statements.

“We let our guards down,” Bickerstaff said, per Bob Finnan of The Chronicle-Telegram. “We thought it would be a lot easier. They stepped up.”

In the same report, Bickerstaff mentioned that he felt a long evening awaited even in the brief time before Brunson went down: the point guard missed his only attempt of the night but Bicketstaff claimed that a Precious Achuiwa offensive rebound "set the tone" in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal rematch.

The Knicks may have gotten off relatively easy in the Brunson case, as he's currently listed as questionable for Tuesday's visit from the Atlanta Hawks (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG). Those who still advocate that the Cavs are capable of avenging last year's postseason defeat will likely harp on Mitchell's absence. But the Knicks proved that this revamped team, which has jettisoned four regular season from the team that disposed of the Cavs in five games, is dangerous in both the primary and reserve scenarios.

DiVincenzo and Hart were but two of several Knicks that rose to the occasion on Sunday: Miles McBride played in place of Brunson (47 minutes) and scored 16 points while fellow reliever Bojan Bogdanovic put up 20 despite hitting only 1-of-6 from three.

Another reserve, Jericho Sims, pulled in six rebounds and was a game-best plus-17 when he was on the floor while the starter Hartenstein dished out a season-best eight assists. Their efforts and more allowed the Knicks (36-25) to open March on a high note and avoid their second losing streak of at least three games in three weeks. 

"The thing about us is we're gritty," DiVincenzo said, per CBS News New York. "We're collectively together. There's not one guy who wants to go out there and outshine anybody. That's our goal: win the game. It doesn't matter how we do it."