Cavs vs. Knicks Prediction: Why Cleveland Wins In 6
- Cavs have faced tougher opponents, while Knicks have beaten weaker teams
- Cavs have the best closer in Mitchell, who can take over games late
- Cavs have momentum after winning 4 of last 5, while Knicks had 9-day break
The Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks will square off in the Eastern Conference Finals, with Game 1 taking place Tuesday at 8 p.m. inside Madison Square Garden.
I won’t bury the lead here. I have Cleveland winning the series in six games, and I’ll explain why in a bit.
The Cavs have dominated two Game 7s so far this postseason, but I’m not sure the Eastern Conference Finals will even go that far.
Yes, outside of the Thunder (8-0 in the postseason), the Knicks own the NBA’s best playoff record at 8-2. Fresh off a sweep of the Philadelphia 76ers, New York is averaging more than 120 points per game this postseason while posting an average margin of victory of 19.4 points.
Those numbers are impressive, but context matters.
The Hawks, while strong during the second half of the season, finished the regular season just one game out of the play-in tournament. And the 76ers, who leaned heavily on a physically drained Joel Embiid, were fortunate to get past Boston. New York has essentially beaten two play-in-caliber teams and hasn’t faced much adversity so far this postseason.
The Cavs, on the other hand, fought through two of the league’s best defenses. Toronto ranked No. 9 defensively during the regular season, while Detroit finished No. 3. Detroit also finished as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
There’s also the perennial rest-versus-rust debate. By the time Game 1 tips off Tuesday night, New York will have had nine days off. That certainly gives the Knicks time to recover, but they’ll also be facing a Cleveland team that has found its rhythm after winning four of its last five games.
There’s also the Donovan Mitchell factor. Simply put, I believe the Cavs have the best player in this series.
Jalen Brunson has been tremendous this postseason, but Mitchell looks like a superstar playing with purpose right now. He’s averaging over 25 points per game in the playoffs and just dismantled Detroit in a Game 7 with complete control of the floor.
When games tighten late in a series, the team with the best closer usually wins. I believe Cleveland has that player.
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Cavs vs. Knicks Prediction: Why Cleveland Wins In 6 was originally published on newstalkcleveland.com
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