Knicks Sweep Cavaliers 4-0, Barkley Says Cleveland Quit in 130-93 Game 4 Loss
Updated
Updated · Yahoo Sports · May 26
Knicks Sweep Cavaliers 4-0, Barkley Says Cleveland Quit in 130-93 Game 4 Loss
8 articles · Updated · Yahoo Sports · May 26
New York clinched the Eastern Conference title Monday with a 130-93 rout in Cleveland, finishing a 4-0 sweep and sending the Knicks to the NBA Finals.
A 20-0 Knicks run helped build a 68-49 halftime lead, prompting Charles Barkley to use TNT's halftime show to accuse the Cavaliers of "quitting" and lacking effort.
The numbers backed up that critique: New York dominated the glass 60-33 and crushed Cleveland 33-9 in fast-break points.
Barkley's comments centered on repeated transition breakdowns, with halftime clips showing Knicks players beating Cleveland defenders down the floor for easy scores.
The blowout ended Cleveland's season at home and capped a one-sided conference finals in which New York controlled the series from start to finish.
Was Cleveland's playoff exit a failure of effort, or a simple mismatch against a historically dominant Knicks team?
After this historic collapse, will the Cavaliers blow up their roster around Donovan Mitchell this offseason?