Knicks come to town Friday for most consequential game of Cavs season

Last season, the Cleveland Cavaliers reached the postseason, although they didn’t make it to the actual playoffs as they got bounced out of the Play-In Tournament due to losses against Brooklyn and Atlanta. The last time the Cavaliers actually made the playoffs was back in 2018 when LeBron James led them to the NBA Finals where they got swept by their four-year rivals, the Golden State Warriors.

Meanwhile, the New York Knicks last reached the playoffs in 2021 where they were eliminated by Trae Young and the Hawks in five games. The Knicks and Cavaliers are on a collision course to meet in Round 1 of the 2023 NBA Playoffs this season.

Throughout the season, the Cavs have hosted big games at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (RMFH) in downtown Cleveland against contenders. This month alone, two of the top three contenders in the Eastern Conference came to town, however, the March 31 showdown against the Knicks is without a doubt the most consequential home game of the season.

Friday’s game versus the Knicks is the most consequential game of the Cavs season.

Prior to this showdown against the Knicks, the biggest home game of the season for the Cavs was on March 6 against the Boston Celtics (with the March 15 matchup against their biggest rivals, the Philadelphia 76ers coming in at a close second). Heading into that game, the Cavaliers led the season series against the Celtics 2-1. It very well could’ve been 3-0 in favor of the Cavs if there were maybe 30 more seconds on the clock back on March 1 in Boston. Either way, the Cavaliers were looking to win the regular season series against the defending Eastern Conference champion Celtics.

On March 6, Cleveland outscored Boston 31-17 in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime. It was the third time a game between the Celtics and Cavaliers would be going to OT. The Cavs outscored the Celtics 9-5 in the extra session, which allowed Cleveland to escape with the 118-114 victory. The victory gave Cleveland the season series 3-1. By winning the season series against the Celtics, Cleveland is telling Boston: “If you meet us in the playoffs, you better be ready to fight tooth and nail!”

But now, this upcoming game against the Knicks is looming. It will have major consequences for the playoff picture. It’s as if the NBA schedule makers knew how crucial this matchup would be, hence why they put it at the end of March. Thus far, the season series between New York and Cleveland has been all about home court advantage. The Knicks held serve at Madison Square Garden as they defeated the Cavaliers 92-81 on Dec. 4 and 105-103 on Jan. 24. Knicks forward Julius Randle was the game’s leading scorer with 36 points. In their lone matchup at RMFH thus far, the Cavaliers defeated the Knicks 121-108. New York leads the regular season series against Cleveland 2-1.

If the Knicks take Round 4, they’d win the season series 3-1 and become the first team to win a game in the opponent’s gym. But if the Cavaliers take Round 4, the home team will have won all four matchups and the season series would end in a 2-2 tie. If New York wins the season series against Cleveland, that could give them the potential tiebreaker should the two teams be tied in the standings on April 9, the final day of the 2022-2023 regular season.

The Knicks and Cavaliers look like they’re on a collision course to meet in the first round of the playoffs this season. Right now, the Cavaliers have a hold of the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference while the Knicks are the No. 5 seed. The Heat, Hawks and Nets are both hanging around, so New York should be weary. Ultimately, New York should be able to stave both of them off and keep a grasp on the fifth seed. If their first-round series goes to a Game 7, it would be played in the shadow of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame rather than on Broadway.

Last season, the Cavs were not ready for the crucial games down the stretch. There were way too many situations where they needed Darius Garland to do everything for them. The biggest example of this was in the 98-94 loss against the Central division rival Chicago Bulls on March 26, where Chicago held Cleveland to 35 points and they took a 53-35 lead into the locker room. Led by Garland, the Cavs were able to claw their way back into the game, outscoring Chicago 28-22 in the third quarter and 31-23 in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t quite enough to get over the hump in a game that basically closed the door on the Cavs’ playoff chances.

This offseason, the Cavaliers went out and acquired Donovan Mitchell (who should be in the MVP discussion) to pair with Garland in the backcourt. Now, DG doesn’t have to do everything for the Cavs because he can defer to “Spida.” However, there have been situations throughout the season where they’ve been heavily reliant on the DG-“Spida” duo.

In the last game against the Knicks at the “World’s Most Famous Arena,” back on Jan. 24, Mitchell scored 24 points and Garland scored 22 points. In a game of this magnitude on March 31, with their impending playoff showdown, Cleveland is going to need similar, if not better, performances from both “DG” and “Spida.” Cleveland might not need a 71-point performance like Mitchell had against Chicago on Jan. 2, but he may need to have a 40-point performance like he had against Boston on March 6. Both of which were victories for the Cavaliers.

During Game 7 of Round 2 between the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics in Boston last season, the role players stepped up and had big games at home. Grant Williams had 27 points and he was seven-of-18 from three-point range in 39 minutes. Payton Pritchard had 14 points and he was four-of-six from three-point range in 17 minutes. Marcus Smart had 11 points and 10 assists in 37 minutes. The contributions of Williams, Pritchard, and Smart allowed the Celtics to knock off the then-defending NBA champion Bucks 109-81.

The Cavaliers roster as a whole needs to play well for them to make noise and act as a disruptor down the stretch. Lamar Stevens, Cedi Osman, Caris LeVert, and Issac Okoro have been playing better as of late. In fact, Okoro hit the game-winning shot in Brooklyn against the Nets on March 23. Given the enormity of this game against the Knicks on Mar. 31, the four of them are really going to need to step up and post big performances to help Garland and Mitchell; this is if Okoro can go, as he missed the past game due to knee soreness.

Anyways, this is the exact type of situation where they could’ve used someone like Kyle Kuzma, Tim Hardaway Jr, Kelly Oubre Jr, Cam Reddish, or Josh Hart. They’re strong wing players who don’t need the ball in their hands to make plays, but if they’re given the opportunity to make an impact on the game in some capacity, they’ll find a way to do it. The Knicks are going to key in on Garland and Mitchell defensively and force someone else to beat them. Who is that someone else going to be?

Prior to the showdown against the Knicks, the Cavaliers hosted the Houston Rockets over the past weekend and then went down south to take on the Hawks on Tuesday. The Cavs went 1-1 in those two games as they defeated the Rockets 108-91, which allowed them to clinch a playoff spot, and then lost to the Hawks 120-118. The loss against the Hawks ended Cleveland’s four-game losing streak. The Cavs will need to use the two off days on Wednesday and Thursday effectively so that they can come out on their home floor on Friday and get back on track in a Round 1 preview against the New York Knicks.

Author’s prediction: This game on Friday is going to be an absolute dawg fight, so it will not be a blowout in either direction. One or both teams may build double-digit leads, but those won’t last very long. This game will be decided by 10 points or less and the winning team won’t score more than 110 points.

Furthermore, the impending playoff series between the Knicks and Cavaliers will go to at least a Game 6 perhaps even a Game 7. Ultimately, Stephen A. Smith will not be happy because Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers will eliminate the New York Knicks in Round 1.