The keys for the Cavs to be able to come back from 0-2 against the Knicks

Cleveland Cavaliers find themselves against the ropes once again in these 2026 NBA Playoffs, but inside the locker room, they assure that the situation does not create panic. After falling 109-93 to the New York Knicks in the second game of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Cavs trail 2-0 in the series, though confident that they can still react.

The confidence stems from a recent experience. In the Eastern semis, Cleveland also lost the first two games before coming back against the Detroit Pistons to win the series in seven games.

"We've been through this before," stated Donovan Mitchell after the defeat. "It's not the first time we've faced adversity. We've played two Game 7s, so being down 2-0 is not the biggest challenge we've had."

However, history is not exactly on Cleveland's side. Only two franchises have managed to come back from being 2-0 down in more than one series in the same postseason: the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021, the year they ended up as champions, and the LA Clippers, who reached the conference finals that same season.

Still, center Jarrett Allen insisted that the group remains calm.

"It seems like these playoffs always push us to the limit," commented Allen. "We like to keep the suspense. This doesn't change anything. Now it's about protecting our home court."

Cleveland finds reasons for optimism

Beyond the result, the Cavaliers believe that their offensive performance was better than what the scoreboard showed. Both players and coach Kenny Atkinson agreed that the team generated good looks but simply couldn't convert them.

According to ESPN Research data, Cleveland finished with just 9 of 26 on three-pointers, including a poor 6 of 20 on wide-open shots.

Sam Merrill embodied that offensive frustration. The guard missed all seven of his attempts from beyond the arc, an unusual occurrence for a shooter averaging 40% on threes during these playoffs.

"They simply didn't go in," explained James Harden. "We had plenty of open shots. If we make a few more, we probably win the game. The offensive process was good."

Fatigue begins to take its toll

Cleveland is also physically stretched coming into this playoff stretch. Thursday's game marked the 16th postseason game for the Cavaliers, following two consecutive series that went to a seventh game.

Since late April, the team has had virtually no rest, playing a game every two days, a workload that could be influencing the physical performance and offensive effectiveness of the group.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Las claves para que los Cavs puedan remontar el 0-2 contra los Knicks