The Cleveland Cavaliers season came to an end Monday night in Cleveland as they dropped game four of the Eastern Conference finals to the New York Knicks. With the loss, the Cavaliers have been swept, and will go into the 2026 offseason looking for answers on how to compete with the leagues best teams. Cavaliers Started Slow Once Again as Knicks Ran RiotFrom the opening tip it was clear the Knicks were more energized and out for blood. New York scrambled to a 38-26 first quarter lead and wouldn't look back the rest of the game. The Cavaliers at one point managed to cut into the lead and trailed 30-26 in the opening quarter, but then allowed the Knicks to go on a shocking 20-0 run that saw Cleveland go 0-9 from the floor during that stretch. The Knicks kept their foot on the gas, and the 130-93 final tally was the largest discrepancy between the sides throughout the course of the series. New York would outscore Cleveland in each quarter of the game, and held a commanding 68-49 lead at the halftime break. Knicks Dominated Cavaliers on the Glass and Won Rebounding Battle Once AgainSix different Knicks finished game four with double digit points, as New York shot 44 percent from beyond the arc. Cleveland’s long range shooting woes continued, as they managed just a 28 percent shooting percentage from deep. The largest discrepancy of the game came on the glass, where the Knicks out rebounded the Cavaliers by a whopping 60-33. Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson spoke with the media following the game four loss, and gave credit to a Knicks team that has been on fire.“They’re playing better basketball. You got to give them credit. They’re on a heater. I don’t want to detract from what we’ve done, but sometimes you’ve got to give the other team credit.” Harden's Struggles Apparent Once Again in Series LossJames Harden, who struggled for most of the series against the Knicks, maintained that Cleveland was the better team in his postgame comments. “Yes, it was 4-0, but we didn’t give ourselves a chance. Genuinely, I think we are the better team. but series wise we didn’t show it.”While winning two playoff series is nothing to turn your nose up at, Cavaliers fans will be left wondering just how far away Cleveland is from realistically competing for an NBA Title. Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow