Cavaliers Tie Up Series Against Knicks In Blowout Fashion, 107-90

The Cleveland Cavaliers blow out the New York Knicks in Game 2 as the series shifts to Madison Square Garden on Friday.

Folks, we have a series on our hands!

Darius Garland exploded for 32 points - 26 of which came before halftime - as the Cleveland Cavaliers blew out the New York Knicks, 107-90.

WE HAVE A SERIES! #Cavs | #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/8MbxJW3tu8

— Cleveland Cavaliers On SI (@CLECavsOnSI) April 19, 2023

Everything felt different about this game from the opening tip. J.B. Bickerstaff called the Cavs' Game 1 loss "a wake-up call" and the team took that to heart. Cleveland turned up the intensity and took it right to the Knicks both on defense and on the glass.

A big talking point after Game 1 was how New York dominated the boards. They had outrebounded the Cavs in all five prior games this season and their size proved to be a challenge for Cleveland.

But the Cavaliers' mindset is just as important as size and ended up out-rebounding New York this evening, 43-36.

The story biggest of the night was Darius Garland's incredible showing. In his second career playoff game, DG played his heart out defensively and was completely unstoppable offensively in the first half. He was outspoken about his team needing to turn up the aggressiveness after a sloppy Game 1 and he clearly practiced what he preached.

Donovan Mitchell finished with just 17 points, which is low by his standard. But his impact on the floor doesn't need to be just scoring the ball. Spida dished out 13 assists in Game 2 and was the clear facilitator of the offense. 

This series is tied up, but it'll only get more difficult from here. Cleveland will travel to New York to experience playoff basketball at Madison Square Garden on Friday night. 

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