Knicks in 6. This is a resilient Knick team. Able to bounce back after a couple of tough losses. The Brunson factor changes everything for me - he is ice cold and unflappable. Randle we knew was volatile and opened up tight in front of the crowds and in the playoffs last time, but based on his performance last year, we know Jalen is gonna be locked in. Even if we miss Randle for one or two games I think we can take this.

The fact that Mitch (and Hartenstein) are healthy for this series is a huge win. It feels like we haven't had a healthy Mitch around for important games in his career, but I'm glad we're going in against a team with size with him on the roster.

When Randle plays, how he handles the double team will be the biggest question. He can't hold the ball too long and get engulfed. Can't let Jarett Allen spy on him the way Capela did in the playoffs a cpl years ago.

Knicks in 7 in a classic!

I picked Knicks in 7. This is a really wild matchup. I expect a really tight series, but not without a blowout or two (could be from either team)

I think the Cavs are better at the top, but not by much. Garland/DM/Mobely/Allen are better than Brunson/RJ/Randle/Mitch. I think they have both the scoring edge and the size/defense edge up front. They are built REALLY well. Cle has a long athletic guy to stick on Randle. Jarrett Allen is super quick and will make Mitch pay if he he strays to help. They have incredible scoring from the backcourt. DM is obviously a top tier guard and you can NOT forget Garland who is right there with our guy... Garland gets 22ppg and 8assists on Brunson-caliber EFF%. They are a VERY tough matchup.

However there are some reasons they were the 4th seed and lost 31 games, and many of those reasons play right to the Knick's strengths.

✔ Cle has sketchy perimeter defense
And the Knicks are GREAT at exploiting that. Guys like Grimes/JHart/McBride all have a scorers mentality and will attack a weak defender. Garland/DM/Rubio are gonna have a miserable time dealing with Brunson/IQ and those two will simply not stop scoring if not slowed down

✔ Cle has a weak bench, the Knicks have an exceptional bench
Rubio/Levert/Osman are OK players. They are at best "hold the fort" for the starters. IQ/Hart/Hart are impact players (as demonstrated by them often finishing games). Cle typically looks to hide Garland on 3&D players like how when Trey covered Reggie Bullock vs. the Hawks 2 years ago. However that will be a big problem as we know there's nobody in our rotation like that. Grimes is not camping on the line. He will use that elite first step and go right to the rim. Josh Hart is aggressive and has scoring chops. This is a real advantage for the Knicks

✔ We have the guys to slow their backcourt down.
How this plays out will be interesting. I expect them to attack Brunson. There's not much to work with after that. I would not be shocked to see McBride get some burn if RJ struggles. However with IQ/JHart off the bench and Grimes already one of the NBA's elite defenders we have the guys to chase them around.

✔ X factors:
Will Randle be healthy and Obi effective?
Will RJ be a factor and play well?

TPercy wrote:Call me a pessimist but i took cle in 6. No blowouts, all hardfought games but the rim protection proves too much for Jules

you're not... CLE's best guys are slightly better than our best guys. They are also REALLY young and trending up as well. Its a wild matchup. Winning this series and a date to get crushed by the greek would be great next step for this team imo

Also interesting, we are 3rd in the league in spot up possessions but 13th worst in percentile (41%).

Both cheeks hanging out (for the ladies): We will win in 7 because we have the better coach and because we have been effective against their back court and because we play well on the road

Knicks will be better this playoff than our last trip because Brunson can play in the clutch and we don't need to rely on Julius to do everything (they will blitz him a lot). Team will play with confidence. Hart and Hartenstein will provide the Heart

Wild cards for us. Is Randle healthy enough to contribute? Do Grimes and IQ continue to hit shots? We need someone to hit bombs. Love is no longer on the Cavs and he has been hurting us this season (my read is because we didn't take him serious enough)

Randle comes to play we can take it in 5. Just need to make sure Grimes is shooting 10 3’s a game and isn’t an after thought.

They need to attack Mitchell and keep defensive switches coming his way. Also need to see IQ out there with Brunson and Grimes to keep the floor open for JB to cook

I'm praying for the Knicks in 6, but the beaten dog in me expects Cavs in 6.

My heart won’t be able to handle this but trying to stay positive here.

Knicks in 7 because 1) NBA will want & manage to 7 games 2) because I trust us more on road

My 2 keys are pretty simple
- our backcourt & wing defenders IQ, Grimes, Hart & yes Deuce are superior to Cavs
- Julius/RJ have to play OK and NOT completely shat the bed