Cavaliers fall apart, lose Game 4 112-89
Cleveland fell apart in the third quarter and this series is now tied.
Final: Orlando Magic 112, Cleveland Cavaliers 89.
Nightly Notables
The Cavs finished this game 4-17 from three compared to 12-26 for the Magic. And in the third quarter, the Cavs scored 10 points on 4-18 shooting. After leading at the half, the Cavs lost the third quarter by 27.
Well, that happened...
The third quarter is everything that’s wrong with the Cavs.
They put together a strong first half — a seemingly good sign after the ugly loss in Game 3. But they came out in the third flat and disengaged from the game whereas the Magic were dialed in. The Cavs didn’t really seem to even want to there whereas as the Magic were fueled by the moment. And there were no adjustments from Cleveland’s end — Orlando dictated everything and never had to adjust again after Cleveland punched back. That is damning on the, the coaching staff and the organization.
The Cavs’ third quarter is arguably the most embarrassing quarter any team has played in the playoffs this year.
Big Picture
At best — and this is being extremely generous — this series is now a toss-up at 2-2. The Cavs also still have homecourt advantage over a possible final three games of the series.
But that doesn’t feel right based on how the last two games have played out. The Magic have been the better and tougher team over the last two games. All of the momentum feels like it’s on Orlando’s side whereas Cleveland is reeling, looking for any semblance of an identity and confidence going forward. Based on what just happened over a few days in Orlando, the Magic feel like favorites in the series. Right now, it feels like the Cavs are on their way to another first round exit barring a drastic turnaround.
What have the Cavs done to show that they really up for this over the last two games?
Up next: Game 5 is on Tuesday back in Cleveland. Tipoff time is TBD.