Cavs go down 2-0 in Eastern Conference Finals

• Both games featured extended second-half runs by the Knicks from which the Cavs never recovered.

The latest: After a tightly contested first half in Game 2, the Knicks stormed out of the gates in the third quarter, authoring an 18-0 run.

• The Cavs were dead on their feet and dead in the water, given their nightmarish shooting performance — 26% on three-pointers, 69% on free throws.

By the numbers: The bench combined for a dismal 1-15 from beyond the arc.

💭 Sam's thought bubble: I'm tempted to say, "We've been here before!"

• Just last series, Detroit won the first two games before the Cavs won four of five to advance to the Conference Finals.

Yes, but: The Cavs look downright exhausted. Donovan Mitchell, in particular, was so gimpy and out of gas Thursday that the national announcers speculated he was battling through an injury.

The bottom line: If they can't find a hidden reserve of energy and will, this could be an extremely short series.

• And the offseason questions — Is Evan Mobley on the trade block? Is Mitchell? Is LeBron returning for one more ride? — will start getting very loud very quickly.

What's next: Game 3: Saturday, 3pm (ABC).

• Game 4: Monday, 8pm (ESPN).