3 Reasons Knicks can upset Cavaliers in highly anticipated playoff matchup
1: New York’s second unit
It’d be hard for even Knicks haters to say that New York’s second unit isn’t stronger than Cleveland’s. With Immanuel Quickley, Josh Hart, Isaiah Hartenstein, Obi Toppin, and even Miles McBride, New York’s bench could be part of what leads the Knicks to a series victory.
Caris LeVert may believe that Cleveland has the “best” bench unit in the league, but that isn’t surprising because he’s the leader of the Cavaliers’ second unit. LeVert, Cedi Osman, and Isaac Okoro (who will likely play in Game 1) could be Cleveland’s X-Factors.
However, New York has better personnel. Quickley is a frontrunner to win the Sixth Man of the Year award. During the regular season, according to Cleaning the Glass, the Knicks allowed exactly 12 fewer points per 100 possessions when IQ was in the game versus when he was on the bench. That’s the largest differential out of any player in the NBA that played at least 1,500 minutes.
Along with IQ’s elite defense, a scoring punch off the bench can be what swings a series in a team’s favor. Quickley averaged 14.9 points in 81 games, Hart averaged 10.2 points in 25 games, Toppin averaged 7.4 points in 67 games, and Hartenstein averaged 5.0 points in 82 games during the regular season. Each bench player brings something different to the floor.
In a tight matchup between the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds, New York’s bench could emerge as the difference maker.
