Here’s a fun fact for you: where the CBS Sports NBA staff predicted our Eastern Conference champions before the season, only two teams were selected. The New York Knicks, who have ample home court advantage in this series, received five votes. The Cleveland Cavaliers got three more.
Of course, none of us could have predicted the exact path we have taken so far. No one had a James Harden-for-Darius Garland swap in our bingo cards, and New York’s playoff revival almost defies belief. These are not the teams they were when they entered the season as clear conference favorites. It took Cleveland a tough seven game series against Toronto and Detroit just to get here. New York, after engaging in some Knicks shenanigans early in the Hawks’ series, has become the norm, so much so that it had to wait more than a week after sweeping the 76ers to get back on the floor.
Now the prophesied Eastern Conference Finals are near. Below are our expert picks for the battle between New York and Cleveland to decide who will represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals and face the Spurs or Thunder.
Knicks vs. Cavs predictions: ECF experts’ picks
Gonzalez: You hit at 7. The Bing Bong crowd is flying high these days, and the Knicks should be happy that they have good home court advantage and don’t have to face the Pistons, who beat them in all three regular season games. But that doesn’t mean this will be easy in New York. Other vs rust is the real thing in this situation. The Knicks put their feet up for what felt like an eternity after sweeping the Sixers, giving OG Anunoby some time to give his sore hamstring a break. He participated fully in practice this week and is expected to return for Game 1. That’s great for New York. But even though the Knicks haven’t been tested much since Game 3 of the first round, the Cavs have won two Game 7s and will enter MSG with Donovan Mitchell and both bigs playing at a high level. (TBD, as always, where James Harden shows up.) Jalen Brunson, KAT and Co. have their work cut out for them this time.
Herbert: Cavaliers at 6. The Knicks cried loudly. They have home court advantage. They have a great advantage of relaxation. Almost no one will predict that Cleveland will do this. I do it, though, because of Evan Mobley, who has been great in the last few games of the Pistons series. I don’t see Karl-Anthony Towns choosing the Cavs over Mobley.
Maloney: You hit 6. The Cavaliers have some talent, but they have been inconsistent all season, including the first two rounds of the playoffs. Can they suddenly put everything together for two weeks and win the series? Yes. Do I trust them against a Knicks team that has been on a run? No. The Knicks have home court advantage, a significant rest advantage and will be happy to avoid the tough and scrappy Pistons. It’s hard to see the Cavaliers defending or rebounding enough to win this series, and the Knicks will advance to the Finals for the first time since 1999.
Quinn: It’s 6 o’clock. Cleveland poses interesting matchup odds for New York. If CJ McCollum can burn Jalen Brunson by himself, Donovan Mitchell and James Harden would also enjoy pairing up. Evan Mobley is as well-suited to guard this new, center version of Karl-Anthony Towns as anyone in the NBA. But the Knicks have won their last seven playoff games by a combined 185 points. They just got nine days off — crucial with OG Anunoby coming off a hamstring strain — and will have home court advantage in the series. The last time these teams met in the Finals, Jarrett Allen announced that the lights were brighter than he expected after Mitchell Robinson whipped him and the Cavaliers on the offensive glass. The Knicks rebounded over 39% of their misses in that series. If they get close to that number again, it’s game over for Cleveland. This version of the Knicks is deep and well rounded. Even if Cleveland pushes them, they are the better team and should dominate this series.
Salerno: Knicks at 6. The Knicks are back in the NBA Finals. All the stars aligned for this to be the year it happened. The Knicks are coming off a series win over the 76ers, while the Cavs are coming off a tough seven-game series against Detroit. One thing that New York likes big time is residual income. The Knicks haven’t played a game since May 10, and Cleveland will have a few days off between the series. Donovan Mitchell was great in Game 7 vs. Detroit. His postseason remains a mixed bag. Jalen Brunson will be the best player in this series and carry the Knicks to the NBA Finals. My preseason finals prediction was Knicks vs. Thunder, so maybe we get that match this year.
