Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell did not hold back after his team suffered a historic collapse against the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
"I said it in the locker room, just that we lost, we f-king blew it," Mitchell said postgame, after the Cavs surrendered a 22-point lead in the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks rallied to win 115-104.
The only larger fourth-quarter comeback in the NBA playoffs over the last 30 years was the Los Angeles Clippers' 24-point rally against the Memphis Grizzlies in 2012.
Mitchell scored 29 points and had six steals in the loss. Knicks guard Jalen Brunson led the comeback with 16 of his game-high 38 points in the fourth quarter. New York closed regulation and overtime on a 44-11 run.
"It's one loss. It's a bad loss, but all we can do is go back and watch the film and fix it," Mitchell said. "We play in two days. We can't sit here and let it kill our momentum."
The Cavaliers will look to bounce back Thursday night in Game 2.