Cleveland Cavaliers vs New York Knicks Prediction: Can the Knicks beat the Cavaliers?

The season series against Cleveland in the regular season has been good for New York with three wins in four games. Can the Knicks beat the Cavaliers in the first game of the playoffs?

The Cavaliers have made even more progress this season under J.B. Bickerstaff. Not only does Cleveland now have a defense - the Cavaliers finished the regular season ranked first in defensive efficiency (106.9) - but they also have a good offense, strengthened by Donovan Mitchell. And while Cleveland finished the regular season just 25th in scoring offense, averaging 112.3 points per game, the Cavs had more resources to operate effectively in the opponent's half in critical moments. Cleveland's solid fourth place in the East, well before the end of the league, also reinforced that point.

The Knicks were also once the league's best defense, but the team has changed the game balance a bit this season. New York finished the regular season as the 11th-ranked offense (116.0 points per game average) and 13th-ranked defense (113.1). The Knicks struggled to secure fifth place in the East, but they secured it in the end. At one point, they thought they might beat Cleveland and clinch the series in the first round with a home-court advantage, but they didn't.

New York often had a perfect offensive game in the regular season, but the playoffs are different. Cleveland has a great defense, and the Cavs' strengths will likely come out on top in the series with the Knicks. Tom Thibodeau is also generally a defensive specialist, and Bickerstaff's defense will probably be able to find its answer. More than likely, we're facing a very low-scoring series in which basketball will be slow. There will be a lot of fighting and few attempts from the field. So we'll put our money on the total under here, and as for the outcome, we'll give our preference to New York, which will undoubtedly do everything in their power play to regain home-court advantage from their first away game.