3 reasons fans should be rooting for Knicks-Cavaliers playoff chaos

2: Knicks’ bench has the advantage

New York might not have traded for a big-name star during the offseason or ahead of the deadline, but the team did get Josh Hart. He’s pretty much a star, right?

Hart has been incredible since playing his first game with the Knicks. Not only does he play both ends of the floor, but he’s been excellent at crashing the boards. That will come in handy if New York has to deal with Mobley and Allen in the first round.

Don’t forget about Immanuel Quickley, who has found himself in the conversation for the Sixth Man of the Year award. He’s made quite the jump in his third year in the league. The work that he’s put in has paid off. His career-high 38-point performance in a double overtime win over Boston is proof of that.

While the Knicks’ bench has vastly improved, the Cavaliers’ bench has been a sore topic of conversation. Cleveland has Dean Wade, who lit up the Knicks with 22 points (6-of-8 from three) in the Cavs’ 121-108 win on Oct. 30, but his shot hasn’t been falling. He’s shooting 36.2% from three and averaged only 2.7 points in the team’s previous 15 games. What’s worse is that he shot 26.5% from three and 32.6% from the field during that span.

There’s also Cedi Osman, who is inconsistent, and Ricky Rubio, who has mainly been a non-factor this season after returning from a knee injury. Caris LeVert is still on the roster after there were trade rumors floating around about him before the deadline. LeVert isn’t a threat from deep but he could disrupt New York on the defensive end.

There are far too many question marks about Cleveland’s bench depth to believe that the team is going to make a run in the playoffs. The Knicks have a clear advantage over the Cavaliers in this regard and it could be what pushes New York to the second round.