Knicks routed as Cavaliers turn tables for Game 2 win

CLEVELAND — In the wake of the Game 1 loss, the Cleveland Cavaliers griped about the Knicks physical play, vowing to punch first next time.

As the Knicks were collapsing, covering up like a punch-drunk boxer, twice the game was halted for a Knicks player to be treated for bleeding. And it certainly seemed as if the punch was more than just a turn of phrase for the Cavs as they ended the night delivering one final blow — a flagrant foul that sent Julius Randle awkwardly falling in the final minutes.

The Cavs hit first and they hit the Knicks hard, delivering an early knockout, building leads of as many as 29 points on the way to a 107-90 win over the Knicks.

Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau tried all sorts of combination, searching for something that would work on either end of the floor, and came up empty. Thibodeau left his starters on the floor absorb the punishment until finally throwing in the towel in the final moments.

The series now heads back to Madison Square Garden tied at one game each, the Knicks taking homecourt, which might seem like an achievement if they hadn’t been so thoroughly pummeled on this night.

“I don’t think they bullied us,” Randle said. “They just responded to our physicality. That’s what you’re supposed to do. In a playoff game, we came and took care of business in Game 1. And they responded. We weren’t expecting the series to be over in 4 or whatever it is. We’re taking it a game at a time. So we just got to adjust and we’ll be fine.”

After the first game, Darius Garland said, “The refs let us play a lot. So we hit first and see the refs react. Instead of being punched in the face and just laying down to it. I think that’s the mentality we have to have. Go punch first and see what the refs do. See if they blow the whistle or not. Just set the tone for the game with it.”

They did, and in particular, Garland did. Offensively, he poured in 32 points, all in the first three quarters and each one feeling like a body blow to the Knicks as he took over the game almost from the very beginning. With the Knicks focused on containing Donovan Mitchell, it was Garland who came with an aggression that they couldn’t match.

The Knicks never seemed up to taking a shot back until 2:22 remained in the game and Julius Randle soared to the rim for a fast break dunk and had his legs taken out from behind by Jarrett Allen. Randle was down for a moment with the officials calling for Knicks trainers to come to his aid. Randle got up and the staff steered him away from retaliating and Randle had words with someone on the Cavs bench. The play was ruled a Flagrant 1 and Randle hit the free throw and then departed the game and went straight to the locker room.

“At this point, it’s irrelevant,” Randle said of the foul. “I thought it was a little unnecessary. I understand playoff basketball. You don’t give up on plays and I respect that. I’m somebody who doesn’t give up on plays. Typically when you make those type of plays you go across their body, not through them. But it’s fine. It’s irrelevant. We’ll go back to the Garden, and see him there.”

Thibodeau said he had Randle in that point to try to get a rhythm — something that Randle had requested. Randle had a team-high 22 points, but turned the ball over six times. Jalen Brunson had 20 points, but shot just 5-for-17, including 1-for-8 beyond the arc. Mitchell had 17 points and 13 assists and Caris LeVert had 24 points off the bench for Cleveland.

The Knicks started the game the way that they got through the first game — Randle ripping the ball out of Isaac Okoro’s hands on the very first possession and the Knicks built a 12-4 lead in the first five minutes. But Cleveland began to get back on track, hitting shots and delivering them, too. By the end of the first quarter Cleveland was up 25-22 and then in the second quarter they really began to assert themselves.

After a Josh Hart bucket with 1:57 left in the first quarter the Knicks missed nine straight shots over a span of 7:10 and a 22-19 lead turned into a 33-24 deficit. On one play, Randle was down on the floor, bleeding from his elbow, while Allen steamrollered Brunson on the other end, both Randle and Brunson on the ground in pain.

If the bleeding stopped after Quentin Grimes was treated, it didn’t stop on the scoreboard. Cleveland ran off a 15-4 streak to end the first half with a 59-39 lead led by 26 points from Garland.

“I think that was the game right there,” RJ Barrett said. “Honestly, we started the game off pretty good. We made the first punch. We were playing well. They kind of countered and we never recovered from there."

By Steve Popper

steve.popper@newsday.com@StevePopper

Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.