For most NBA teams, making it to the conference finals should make for a pretty successful season. However, for the Cleveland Cavaliers, the way they exited the postseason has left a sour taste in the mouths of everyone.
The Cavs looked like they were on their way to a competitive Eastern Conference Finals series against the New York Knicks… but then they blew a 22-point fourth quarter lead in Game 1 and completely fell apart from there.
Cleveland lost all four games in the series by double digits, from getting destroyed in the overtime period in Game 1 to an embarrassing 37-point homecourt loss in Game 4. And in spite of head coach Kenny Atkinson defending their analytic strength and James Harden insisting they were the better team, what the rest of the world who watched the series saw was a team that quit.
On Inside the NBA, Charles Barkley called them out for quitting before the game was even over at halftime. And that was when they trailed by merely 17 points. And he had plenty of highlights and stats to back him up with clip after clip of the Cavs failing to fight for rebounds or get back on defense. The Knicks somehow had 26 fast-break points in just the first half alone.
Chuck teaches the kids at home what the word ‘quit’ means 🤣 pic.twitter.com/dLcblwyKxY
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 26, 2026
The deluge of criticism continued the morning after. On ESPN Radio, Chris Canty called out the Cleveland Cavaliers for quitting on the entire city and calling their performance an embarrassment on Unsportsmanlike.
The Cavaliers quit on the entire city of Cleveland. @ChrisCanty99 | @ESPNCleveland https://t.co/PJlwemvrDS pic.twitter.com/HbOqhjNuR7
— UNSPORTSMANLIKE (@UnSportsESPN) May 26, 2026
It got even more intense on First Take as both Stephen A. Smith and Kendrick Perkins took their turns destroying the Cavs and calling out not just the players, but Kenny Atkinson as well. Perkins called it one of the most embarrassing performances in NBA history in saying they “tapped out.” While that may be a tad hyperbolic, there’s no debate that it was really, really, really bad.
“This was one of the most, if not the most, embarrassing moments in NBA history. It’s not what happened, it’s how it happened.”
—@kendrickperkins on the Cavs’ effort vs. the Knicks 👀 pic.twitter.com/U7idaEy9Ve
— First Take (@FirstTake) May 26, 2026
It wasn’t just the national media that placed the Cleveland Cavaliers under the microscope for their lack of competition. The local Cleveland media were also disgusted with what they saw. ESPN Cleveland host Tony Rizzo said the team quit in both Games 3 and 4. And in spite of all the misery that the city has been through with their local sports teams, he said the one thing the city couldn’t put up with is quitting.
“You QUIT in both games 3 and 4,” – Rizz is FED up with the Cavs effort in the ECF.
Do you agree? pic.twitter.com/5Bt2UxsTE4
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) May 26, 2026
And on 92.3 The Fan, host Anthony Alandt said the team “wilted like a dead-ass flower” and was dejected over how widely the Cavaliers were being mocked by the entire NBA universe.
“In no world did I think I’d get ‘quit’. You’re getting mocked everywhere. You wilted like a dead ass flower.”
🚨 @anthonyalandt on the #Cavs blowout loss in Game 4, being swept by the #Knicks https://t.co/aYPhdzmDNQ pic.twitter.com/qeFJovbCBD
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) May 26, 2026
On the bright side, at least the Cleveland Cavaliers had Taylor Swift show up to a game! And there are other things to look forward to now that the Cavs have gone to Cancun, or maybe Galveston is more deserving after their effort. Somehow in spite of seemingly never actually trying to spend money to win, the Guardians are leading the AL Central once again. But as always, the less we say about the Browns’ chances, the better.
About Matt Yoder