It’s here. It’s finally here. The New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers will tip-off at 6 this evening at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse for one of the most anticipated first-round matchups. The Knicks’ underpaid free agency addition Jalen Brunson versus the trade addition that everyone thought the Knicks would add, what could be better?
Cleveland has the edge in the series because it has homecourt advantage, so Games 1 and 2 will be in Ohio. If the series goes to seven games, Game 7 will be in Ohio as well. This is a Cavaliers team that last made it to the playoffs in 2018 when LeBron James was still in town, so expect the atmosphere in New York and Cleveland to be top-notch. It is the playoffs, after all.
It should be a series that comes down to the wire between the No. 4 and No. 5 teams in the East. Both are evenly matched, that is if Julius Randle is healthy and able to play. Many people might be leaning toward choosing the Cavaliers as the series winner, but it wouldn’t be surprising (at least for Knicks fans) if New York were to advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
3 reasons Knicks could upset Cavaliers in first-round playoff series
3: The Madison Square Garden advantage
Cleveland might be ready to rock after missing the playoffs the last four seasons, but Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse has nothing on Madison Square Garden. Knicks fans filed into MSG in 2021 when New York played against Atlanta, and although that series didn’t go as hoped, the atmosphere was electric.
The Knicks don’t have homecourt advantage, but they have MSG advantage. If New York can steal a win in Cleveland and enter Game 3 with a 1-1 series tie in NYC, that will be huge for the Knicks. Playoff atmospheres are always next level, but there’s something that’s even more special about playing at the world’s most famous arena.
The flip side to this is that a player like Donovan Mitchell could go off in one of the games in New York. There’s a reason why many opposing players list MSG as their favorite place to play. When you combine that with Mitchell playing in front of his hometown team that didn’t trade for him over the summer, the star guard could make the Knicks regret their decision to not go all-in on him. Let’s hope that isn’t what happens.
2: Jalen Brunson activating playoff mode
In last year’s run to the Western Conference Finals with Dallas, Jalen Brunson averaged 21.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in 18 games. He shot 46.6% from the field and 34.7% from three. Even with Luka Doncic missing a few games during the postseason (Brunson scored 24, 41, and 31 without Doncic), Brunson was able to help guide Dallas to its deepest playoff run since winning the 2011 NBA Championship.
Brunson’s performance in the 2022 playoffs helped to shoot his free agency value up, but looking back on the four-year, $104 million contract that he signed with the Knicks, he’s underpaid, not overpaid. He averaged a career-high 24 points during his first regular season in New York in contrast to the 16.3 points he averaged in Dallas last season, and he isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
Sure, Donovan Mitchell could explode against the Knicks based on his playoff resume, but Brunson’s capable of doing the same. It was only a few weeks ago that Brunson dropped a career-high 48 points against the Cavaliers in their final matchup of the regular season that resulted in a Knicks win. Mitchell had 42.
Brunson’s in the running to win Clutch Player of the Year. In a series that could come down to the wire, it’s going to be an absolute treat to watch the 26-year-old should’ve been an All-Star guard showcase his talents once again in the playoffs. He was doubted last year, and it’d be a mistake to doubt him again.
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.
3 Key matchups that will decide Knicks-Cavaliers playoff series
These 3 matchups could be the difference between the New York Knicks winning or losing their upcoming playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.