One of the first-round matchups in the NBA postseason, which is set to begin next weekend is set between the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers. It will be the 5 vs 4 matchup in the East and it will be by far the most intriguing matchup in that conference.
Throughout the regular season, New York won the regular season series against Cleveland 3-1. The Knicks and the Cavaliers don't have much playoff experience with their playoff roster. The New York Knicks are in the postseason for the second time in three seasons and the Cleveland Cavaliers are in the postseason for the first time since the 2018 season.
New York's record is 46-33 and Cleveland's current record is 50-30. The Knicks have been of the biggest stories this season in the NBA and the Cavaliers have won 50 games without Lebron James in a single season for the first time since the late 1990s.
The head coaching matchup in this series will be Tom Thibodeau for the Knicks and J.B. Bickerstaff for the Cavaliers. One of the things about New York is that they have a better bench than Cleveland, but the bench shrinks when the playoffs.
The New York Knicks had a much better bench during the regular season than the Cleveland Cavaliers, but New York will have to maybe go top-heavy against Cleveland in Round 1.
New York has a very good defense, but Cleveland had one of the top five defenses across the league. The Knicks have a good offense, but the Cavaliers have a bottom-five offense in the league.
A few of the Knicks' star players to watch out for is Jalen Brunson, Mitchell Robinson, and Julius Randle. A few of the Cavaliers' star players to watch out for is Donovan Mitchell (four consecutive 40-point games), Darius Garland, and Evan Mobley.
The x-factor for New York is R.J. Barrett and Josh Hart and the x-factor for Cleveland is Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert.
One of the main differences in this series is going to be Donovan Mitchell's playoff experience with the Utah Jazz. The pick: Cleveland Cavaliers in 7.