Biggest choke job I've seen in I don't know how long. This team is so soft it's ridiculous. No field goals for the final 6:35 of the 3rd quarter. Counting the start of the 4th quarter the Cavs went over seven minutes without a field goal, going 0-for-8. They scored 80 points in the first half, 38 in the second. Just watch them crumble as soon as the Clippers scored two baskets in a row.
Garland fought hard, but as usual, choked down the stretch. He dribbled a ball off his foot with no defender near him, leading to an uncontested dunk. He airballed an uncontested layup. With the game on the line he made the incredibly stupid decision to drive down the lane and try a layup, which was blocked the instant it was out of his hand.
Worst crunch time player I have ever seen. By far. Nobody else is even in the conversation.
That being said, Paul George put on one of the greatest performances on a basketball court I have ever seen with 39 points, including 16-for-16 from the foul line, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists. He was money down the stretch with 23 points in the 4th quarter despite playing 44 minutes at nearly 34 years old. When they doubled him he hit Powell and Coffey on the other side of the court for open 3's. On the game winning shot he literally faked Evan Mobley off his feet and had an uncontested 15-footer. The fact that George was able to score at will after being on the court for over 40 minutes was impressive and then he blocked Garland's stupid layup attempt.
I'll say this for Garland - he doesn't mind failing. He does it over and over but still insists on taking the big shot. You can't get the ball out of his hands when the game is on the line.
The Cavs were up 26 points in the third, but as soon as two guys in a row missed shots you could see the entire team freeze up and the choke party was on.
Niang was pathetic. With 31 seconds left in the 3rd the Cavs forced a miss. Niang was in perfect position but mistimed his jump. Westbrook tapped the ball out to Powell who knocked down a corner 3. Niang got blown by repeatedly and scored 2 points in 14 minutes.
Great to have Okoro back and he was pretty solid with 11 points in four shots.
But the big takeaway is that this team is psychologically soft and once things start going wrong and the opponent gets some momentum they all choke together. They have no one who can calm things down and get a bucket. It doesn't matter how big a lead they have, once things start to snowball they fall apart, miss easy shots, turn the ball over, and make defensive mistakes. The opponent can see them disintegrating and realizes the game is there for the taking. They start making every shot because they can see the Cavs crumbling and it gives them confidence.
