Tuesday night begins it all: Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Fortunately, for the No. 3-seeded Knickerbockers, the party starts at Madison Square Garden.
While we know the situation, how it plays out is still up for debate. That’s why Knicks X-Factor is here, on this particular page of the World Wide Web.
Check out our New York Knicks’ Eastern Conference Finals predictions…
Geoff Magliocchetti
Everything’s coming up Knicks, and that includes their latest final four opponent.
A showcase like this would be a little testier if the burly Detroit Pistons came to town, but there’s no use worrying about that. (Although, admittedly, it would’ve been fun to see the full-strength, full-groove skyscraper lineup of Mitchell Robinson and Karl-Anthony Towns go up against Jalen Duren while perhaps killing the Isaiah Stewart excuse once and for all.)
Cleveland produces similar challenges, with five Cavaliers averaging at least five boards a game over their lengthy postseason journey to date. But the Knicks’ active defensive shutdown served as the perfect antidote to the perimeter prowess of Atlanta and Philadelphia (especially the latter), and there’s no apparent reason they cannot continue against the Cavs.
Even with the path perfectly paved in the Knicks’ direction, there’s plenty that could go wrong: Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley afford the Cavs some contested length, and the Knicks lost the lone seasonal meeting that featured James Harden. But, even with a sizable layover, what the Knicks have accomplished in terms of lasting momentum and style feels like way too much for the exhausted Cavs to overcome, even if OG Anunoby needs another day or two to get back to his usual self.
Even taking each team’s workload out of the equation, New York can rely on another cliche: experience. The Knicks have long justified passing on Donovan Mitchell during the summer of 2022, but the universe seems intent on providing further vindication.
What has transpired in this Mitchell-less saga should be the right fuel to help the Knicks get over one of the final humps that still stands in the Jalen Brunson era and place New York (men’s) basketball back in a Finals series.
- Eastern Conference Finals: Knicks in 6
- Western Conference Finals: Thunder in 7
Thomas Montana
The Knicks have been the best team in the playoffs since KAT chatted with Mike Brown, as his 27.9 NET rating in that span is more than 12 points higher than the second-most. Guys like OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges getting into a rhythm has made Jalen Brunson’s life easier, even though he hasn’t lost a step. Keep doing what you’re doing, and it’s finals-bound in New York.
Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen are an intimidating front-court duo, completely shutting down All-Star Jalen Duren in the Detroit series. But New York’s duo has seen them before.
Mitchell Robinson put up 9.8 rebounds and 3.4 steals+blocks per game in the 2023 playoff matchup and 14.5 rebounds in this year’s trio against the Cavs. That makes him the biggest x-factor of this series by far.
Towns hasn’t played his best against the Cavs in the regular season, but this pass-heavy style has made him extremely effective even when the shots aren’t falling. Forcing one of the two Cleveland big men onto the perimeter could be a real game-changer.
- Eastern Conference Finals: Knicks in 6
- Western Conference Finals: Thunder in 7
Robby Sabo
So, let’s get this straight: The New York Knicks’ 22-19 road record this past season was anything but stellar, yet they maintained home-court advantage throughout the entirety of the Eastern Conference side of the NBA Playoffs?
Forget about predictions for a moment; it’s time to worry about the impending alien invasion.
For the older-school Knicks fans of this universe, experiencing what’s happened thus far is nothing short of mind-boggling. No Boston Celtics or Detroit Pistons, whereas the No. 6-seeded Atlanta Hawks, No. 7-seeded Philadelphia 76ers, and, now, the No. 4-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers represent the trio of teams serving as the Knicks’ eastern roadblock.
Oh yeah, throw the fact that Cade Cunningham’s collapsed lung destroyed Detroit’s chances, and the fact that the San Antonio Spurs — who took Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals in thrilling fashion — are a much better matchup than the Oklahoma City Thunder, and it’s both obvious to see and frightening to realize just how set up the Knicks are.
Unlike a potential Pistons matchup, which could have produced a very different brand of hoops, the Cavs and Knicks should engage in a faster-paced, shooting bonanza. Perhaps the layoff hurts New York in Game 1, but as long as their hot shooting doesn’t dip too much, they should take this squad to the NBA Finals.
Doesn’t it make sense that it’s the Knicks and Spurs — a 1999 NBA Finals and 2026 NBA Cup Finals rematch?
- Eastern Conference Finals: Knicks in 7
- Western Conference Finals: Spurs in 7
