Dennis Schroder did not hide the frustration after the Cavaliers let Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals slip away to the Knicks. The veteran guard said Cleveland controlled most of the night before New York’s fourth-quarter surge changed everything.
“We gave them a game. We controlled the game. We had a great 90% of the game we controlled it and the last 10% they did a great job,” Schroder said after practice on Wednesday. “You got to give them credit for not giving up and making shots at the end and that was the game.”
The Knicks erased a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter and won 115-104 in overtime on Tuesday night, with Jalen Brunson finishing with 38 points. Schroder said the film made the collapse feel even more avoidable because Cleveland had the game in hand for most of the night.
“What do you think changed in the last seven minutes or so for you guys?” he was asked. “We got to watch film. We was up 17 so all we had to do is get a couple of stops,” Schroder said. “On the offensive end just play our game what we did the 40 minutes before that. And then we win the game.”
Even with the loss, Schroder pushed the Cavaliers toward a reset rather than a spiral. He said the mindset inside the room remains straightforward.
“It’s first to four mentality. When I got to the league I was with Mike Budenholzer and he always said it’s first to four,” Schroder said. “So at the end of the day that’s the same mindset we have as a team. Of course this one hurts but it’s over. It was yesterday. We can’t do nothing about it.”
Schroder also said Cleveland has already addressed the issues that surfaced late in Game 1. “Everybody was positive this morning about it. We made some changes and we go out tomorrow,” he said.
He described his own style as emotional and physical, but said that does not mean the whole team has to mirror it in the same way. “No because we got certain guys they not doing it how I do it,” Schroder said. “I’m 6’1. I got to kind of get in people’s faces.”
Schroder pointed to the careers of several veterans as proof that different personalities can still work at the highest level. “Strus same way from the G League to now being one of the main guys on a contender team speaks for itself. James Harden all those guys they do it how they do it on the highest level.”
Asked about Brunson’s closing stretch, Schroder called the Knicks guard one of the league’s toughest playoff creators. “He’s one of the best PGs in the world,” Schroder said. “Been doing it since Dallas when he was there and Luka got hurt against Utah in the series and since he got here he’s carrying a team big organization and it speaks for itself.”
The Cavaliers now head into Game 2 needing a sharper finish after letting a winnable opener escape in Madison Square Garden.
