Cavaliers vs Knicks Game 4 instant reactions. Cavs routed, swept

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CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers entered Game 4 hoping not to only extend their playoff lives another day, but make the first step toward NBA history.

The Cavs fell behind 0-3 in the Eastern Conference Finals with a Game 3 loss to the Knicks, which set up an elimination game for Cleveland in Game 4. No team in NBA history has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a series.

In Game 4, the Cavs were absolutely demolished 130-93 by the Knicks, which pulled off the sweep and punched their ticket to the NBA Finals. It was one point shy of tying the Cavaliers record for the worst playoff defeat in franchise history.

Cavs playoffs: New York knocks out Cleveland and heads to NBA Finals

Cavs vs Knicks Game 4: Ryan Lewis' instant reaction​

• The Cavaliers haven't wanted to put too much stock into fatigue being a major factor in this series to this point, but it's pretty apparent they're gassed. It's the toll that back-to-back physical, seven-game series can take when you're also playing a red-hot, well-rested team. Then again, as Donovan Mitchell said, the Cavs did that to themselves by losing Game 6 in both series, forcing an extra game and taking away a few extra days of rest.
• The Game 1 collapse was the breaking point. That was their chance to steal one in New York and alter, possibly, the entire trajectory of the series. That isn't to say the Eastern Conference champion would have been different, but I do think the series was placed on its direct path in that moment. It was back-breaking, and when a team is the less-rested of the two, it's a mountain to climb.
• That being said, it was still surprising to see the Cavs largely be noncompetitive in Game 4, maybe outside of Donovan Mitchell. And the Knicks fans genuinely had the crowd noise close to a 50-50 split.
• There are a number of intersections the Cavs will now have to cross this offseason, including potential questions about Koby Altman, Kenny Atkinson, Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley and several others. This was the best Cavs playoff run without LeBron James on the roster since 1992, but the dismantling by the Knicks will alter the good will they might have built to that point.

Cavs vs Knicks Game 4: Nate Ulrich's instant reaction​

• The Cavs showed the requisite fight to avoid a sweep for merely the first half of the first quarter. Then they packed it in like a team ready to pack for summer vacation.
• The Cavs led 17-14 when forward Evan Mobley threw down a putback dunk with 6:37 left in the first quarter. Mobley had seven points and guard Donovan Mitchell had 10, accounting for Cleveland's first 17. Then the Knicks went on a 9-0 run. The Cavs never led again, not just in the first quarter — for the entire game.
• The Knicks smelled blood in the water and used a 20-0 run (8-0 to end the first quarter and 12-0 to start the second quarter) to demoralize the Cavs.
• Where was the Cavs' heart? The Knicks ripped it out of Cleveland's collective chest and threw it in a blender. The Cavs did a lot of good in the 2025-26 season, but they ended it in embarrassment. It's how they should — and will — be judged.
• Was the season a success for the Cavs? Absolutely not. Trading Darius Garland for James Harden in February put Cleveland in NBA Finals-or-bust mode. With a chance to advance to the NBA Finals, the Cavs weren't even in the same class as the Knicks. Now the Knicks are heading to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.

Ryan Lewis and Nate Ulrich cover the Cavaliers for the Akron Beacon Journal. The Beacon Journal sports department can be reached at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavs vs Knicks Game 4 instant reactions. New York completes sweep

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