Even though the NBA playoffs won’t start for another week and a half, the New York Knicks already know they’ll be meeting the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round.
With the Nets’ loss to the Timberwolves on Tuesday night and the Cavaliers’ win over the Magic, the Knicks clinched the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference and the Cavaliers are now locked into the fourth seed. As a result, that means the Knicks will face the Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs.
The matchup is most likely exactly what the NBA wanted after the Knicks and Cavs have been linked in discussions all year.
The Knicks were rumored to be the top trade destination for former Jazz star Donovan Mitchell in the offseason, but when they didn’t want to pay a price that included Quentin Grimes and Immanuel Quickley, the Jazz dealt Mitchell to the Cavaliers instead.
The Knicks pivoted by signing Jalen Brunson to a big deal in the offseason, but the teams have been linked all year by the question of whether or not the Knicks made the right decision in holding onto their young assets and not pulling the trigger on a trade for Mitchell.
The discussion has been a major talking point on ESPN and other national media outlets and some analysts, like Stephen A. Smith, have even said that New York’s season will be a failure if they lose to Mitchell in the playoffs.
Stephen A. Smith's two and a half minute rant on the Knicks potentially facing the Cavs in the playoffs 🤣
"The New York Knicks cannot lose to Donovan Mitchell. He was supposed to be in a Knicks uniform… If you lose to him, the season's ruined!"pic.twitter.com/lw0o9fSUkl
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 24, 2023
However, early betting lines and expert predictions suggest that the Cavaliers are indeed the favorites. According to DraftKings, Cleveland is listed at -185 to win the series with New York +150 as underdogs and the overall spread for the series is Cleveland -1.5 games, which means Vegas doesn’t expect the series to go beyond six games.
Part of the lack of trust in New York makes sense. There is no firm timetable yet for the return of All-Star forward Julius Randle, and the organization hasn’t won a playoff series since 2013. They lost to Trae Young and the Hawks in the first round of the 2021 playoffs, which was their only playoff appearance since 2013.
Yet, even though they are the lower seed, the Knicks did win the season series against the Cavaliers 3-1, including a 130-116 win last Friday night on the road behind a career-best 48-point showing from Jalen Brunson. As a result, they will likely come into the series with a fair amount of confidence.
Historically, the Knicks have done well against the Cavaliers in the playoffs, with an 8-1 record, including two series sweeps. The last playoff meeting between these teams was also a four versus five matchup when Patrick Ewing led New York to a 3-0 series win in 1996.
In their current forms, both New York and Cleveland have a young core of players that have exceeded preseason expectations. The Knicks pair Randle and Brunson with improving RJ Barrett and emerging stars Quickley and Grimes. Meanwhile, with Cavs have Mitchell along with Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, who has emerged as one of the league’s best two-way big men in his second season.
Dates and tip-off times for the series will be unveiled at a later date. The Knicks have two games remaining, one Friday on the road against New Orleans and then back at home on Sunday against the Pacers to finish the regular season.
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