What Went Wrong For Cavaliers In Game 6 Loss To Magic?

The Cleveland Cavaliers' late miscues came back to bite them in their Game 6 loss to the Orlando Magic.

May 3, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs (4) passes the ball in front of Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) during the first quarter of game six of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports / Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Cavaliers' nightmares at the Kia Center continue. 

They had a chance to officially eliminate the Orlando Magic in Game 6, but let it slip away in the closing minutes. Now the Wine and Gold will have to finish off this series on their home floor in Game 7.

Before moving onto Sunday’s win or go-home matchup, let’s take a look at what went wrong for the Cavs in this Game 6 loss.

J.B. Bickerstaff provided his perspective on why the Cavs came up short down the stretch.

“I thought we did a good job playing with tempo, playing with pace, and definitely we were really good in the third quarter,” said Bickerstaff after the game. 

“We got shot without turning the basketball over in the third quarter. And I think that’s what bit us in the butt. We had seven turnovers in the fourth quarter. It’s hard to overcome not getting shots on goal against a good defensive team.”

Bickerstaff does make a good point with the fourth-quarter miscues. The Cavs gave the ball over eight times which resulted in nine points of turnovers for the Magic. However, Orlando still outscored Cleveland in the final 12 minutes and made big shots that Cleveland could not. 

May 3, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs (4) passes the ball in front of Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) during the first quarter of game six of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports | Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports / Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

At the end of the day, Cleveland’s lackluster offense yet again is what separated them from Orlando in this loss. The Cavs shot 50% from the floor and 1-for-14 from behind the arc in the first half. The team played much better in the second half, but they had already dug themselves a hole that was hard to overcome.

Donovan Mitchell finished with 50 points in an all-time performance for the shooting guard. But even his huge night highlighted flaws in Cleveland’s game plan. The Cavs' game plan became predictable by the time they needed a bucket in the fourth.

The team would get Mitchell the ball, let him drive to the hoop, and hope he could make an incredible shot. Orlando saw this coming and swarmed Mitchell is in part caused a lot of these turnovers.

The Cavs seem to have identified what they did wrong against the Magic in Game 6. Will they be able to make the necessary adjustments for Game 7?