The penultimate round of the NBA playoffs has arrived, and with it, the weight of expectations.
Out west, it’s the defending champions and the darlings of the conference remaining, after both teams spent much of the season watching from atop the standings. Truthfully, anything short of a final four appearance for either would’ve been a disappointment.
While the same can be said for the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the East, there’s an added element of pressure, with both squads nearing the end of their runway.
Unlike the Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs, the Knicks and Cavs are among the oldest (and most expensive) teams in the NBA. Short of blowing up their cores, both franchises have exhausted their options — doling out lucrative deals, trading for star players, relinquishing assets, and even swapping head coaches — in the pursuit of a title.
Still, even though it took a roundabout way, both teams ended up where many expected them to start the season, back on the doorstep of an NBA Finals appearance. New York for a second consecutive season and Cleveland for the first time since 2018, trying to be the fourth different East representative at the end, and neither with any certainty that their group will have a clearer path going forward.
The time is now, and there can only be one.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the first showdown in what projects to be a legacy-defining series for these iterations of the Knicks and Cavaliers.
Season series: Knicks win 2-1
Series schedule (all times in ET):Game 1: Cleveland at New York, Tues. May 19 at 8 p.m.Game 2: Cleveland at New York, Thurs. May 21 at 8 p.m.Game 3: New York at Cleveland, Sat. May 23 at 8 p.m.Game 4: New York at Cleveland, Mon. May 25 at 8 p.m.*Game 5: Cleveland at New York, Wed. May 27 at 8 p.m.*Game 6: New York at Cleveland, Fri. May 29 at 8 p.m.*Game 7: Cleveland at New York, Sun. May 31 at 8 p.m.* if necessary
The Big Apple ballclub’s path to the third round was one of lesser resistance than the Cavaliers’. And in fairness, that’s not a knock against the Knicks, rather a testament to a juggernaut-like about-face.
After falling behind 2-1 to the Atlanta Hawks in the opening round, New York rattled off seven consecutive wins and maintained the top net rating among all playoff teams — ranked second on offence and defence.
Dominant would be an understatement.
The Knicks outscored the Hawks and Philadelphia 76ers by an average of 19.4 points per game, which was the best margin of any team since the 16-team playoff format was introduced 43 years ago (per NBA.com).
Jalen Brunson — third in playoff scoring (27.4 PPG) — peaked as far as efficiency goes, Karl-Anthony Towns found his groove on both ends of the floor, and ancillary players have taken turns stepping up.
It all went about as well as Mike Brown could’ve hoped for when he took over for Tom Thibodeau as head coach before this season. But now’s the time to see if it can keep up and if Brown can take the Knicks one step further than Thibodeau did — an NBA Finals appearance for the first time since 1999.
Cleveland returns to the ECF for the first time in nearly a decade after grinding through a pair of seven-game series — first against the Toronto Raptors and then the top-seeded Detroit Pistons.
And while it’s undeniable that the Cavaliers went through more peaks and valleys than the Knicks did in the first two rounds, there’s something to be said about overcoming that inconsistency to finally get past the conference semis in their fourth consecutive playoff appearance.
The Cavs have managed to do just enough to get to this point, winning on the road when they’ve had to, making multiple double-digit comebacks (three) and getting key performances in the biggest moments. Like James Harden’s 30-point, six-assist Game 5 outing in Detroit and then Donovan Mitchell (26 points, eight assists) and Evan Mobley (21 points, 12 rebounds, four stocks) leading the charge in Game 7.
Cleveland will need more of those heroics and then some if the franchise is going to win its first-ever playoff series against New York.
For what it’s worth, the Cavaliers may not have as much momentum as the Knicks entering the series, but their lone win against New York — a 15-point drubbing — came after Harden joined the fold.
The Swiss Army knife of a player missed the Knicks’ last two games with a lingering hamstring injury and is considered day-to-day entering the conference finals, but was a full participant in practice on Monday.
Anunoby’s status will undoubtedly matter for New York, which relies heavily on his impact on both ends of the floor. His positional versatility on defence is part of why the Knicks rank second on that end, while Anunoby’s stellar 53.8 per cent mark from beyond the arc is among the reasons why New York is the most efficient three-point shooting squad in the playoffs.
The 28-year-old was averaging career-playoff-bests of 21.4 points and 7.5 rebounds to go with 1.9 steals and 1.1 blocks on 75.5 per cent true shooting before missing time with injury.
New York was able to overcome Anunoby’s absence against a tired and beat-up 76ers team, but can it handle the likes of Harden, Mitchell and Mobley without one of its best defenders?
Hamstring injuries have kept other stars like Jalen Williams and Luka Doncic out for extended periods throughout the post-season, so it’s safe to wonder if that could mean the same for Anunoby. And even if he does play, will the injury (and time off) limit his production?
Cavaliers: Overcoming the rest disadvantage
The rest-versus-rust debate has gone on for about as long as sports have existed.
And while there’s no definitive answer, it is telling that in five of the last six seasons, the team with the rest advantage in the ECF has advanced.
Which could matter even more, considering the Cavs have played four more games than the Knicks have through the first two rounds. And while New York got to rest and prepare for a week, Cleveland was busy duking it out against a physical Detroit team — in a series that ended just two days before the Conference Finals get underway. It’s also worth wondering how much all that extra mileage will impact Harden, who’s been known to slow down the longer a series goes.
It’s also worth noting that the Cavaliers have been a better second-half team on most nights, and while that’s allowed them to overcome some sluggish starts (3-5 in games when trailing by double digits), that may not go so well against a Knicks team that’s had no issues holding on and extending big leads into cavernous ones.
After a sub-optimal start to the playoffs, it was positive to see the 29-year-old make such a drastic turnaround — from 7.2 points on 53.3 per cent true shooting in his first five games to 18.8 points on 75.7 per cent in his last five.
The Cavs have done a solid job limiting multiple scoring threats on a given night, usually holding the damage to one or two players. If either Brunson or Towns is kept in check at any point in the series, Bridges is among those next in the pecking order to be given opportunities to self-create.
Not to mention Bridges has been spectacular on defence all post-season, including against the likes of Tyrese Maxey in the second round, holding the star guard to just 14 points on 44 per cent shooting in nearly 28 minutes guarding him through the second round. Go back to the Knicks’ opening series against the Boston Celtics last year for a reminder that Bridges sealed more than one game thanks to his clutch defensive efforts.
If Anunoby is limited in any way, and maybe even if he’s not, Bridges will be expected to do plenty of heavy lifting against Harden and Mitchell, while also swapping onto the larger Mobley and Jarrett Allen when called upon.
The fifth-year forward has come into his own as the playoffs have progressed, namely on the defensive end. While Mobley’s offensive production has ebbed and flowed on a game-by-game basis, his impact on the other end has steadily trended towards the kind of impact that led to his 2025 Defensive Player of the Year win.
Mobley was the only player in the second round to average at least one steal (1.6) and two blocks (2.7) — made more impressive as he kept soon-to-be All-NBAer Jalen Duren in check for much of their series.
The Cavs will certainly have their hands full with Towns and Mitchell Robinson, both of whom have been vital to the Knicks leading playoff teams in paint scoring and second-chance production, but if Mobley can continue stymying opposing bigs, while also testing them the other way, it could be just what Cleveland needs to swing a couple of games and maybe even the series.
