3 dangerous Knicks that could put Cleveland Cavaliers on upset alert

This Saturday, the NBA Playoffs are slated to get underway. For the Cleveland Cavaliers, they’re back in the playoffs for the first time since 2018, and this go-round, LeBron James is not spearheading their run.

For Cleveland, they’re set to face off against the New York Knicks, in the No. 4-No. 5 matchup in the Eastern Conference. For a Wine and Gold team that was far better at home in the regular season, them securing home court advantage last week was a big deal, particularly for a Cavaliers team whose largely inexperienced in some key areas, involving the playoffs.

This has the makings of a hard-fought, evenly matched series, as many between those No. 4-No. 5 seeds have historically, and in recent prior seasons. The Cavs are the favored team going into the series, but it’s not likely going to be easy.

New York defeated Cleveland three out of their four times meeting in the regular season, and that last included a 130-116 victory in Cleveland on March 31. The Cavaliers have to be sharper than they were in that game, for example.

So, with those caveats, here, we’ll put the spotlight on three Knicks that could be significant players in a potential series upset over the Cavaliers.

Let’s start with the Knicks’ prize offseason signing.

The most dangerous Knick: Jalen Brunson

Jalen Brunson has been phenomenal for the Knicks this season in his first year with them. After a quasi-breakout with the Dallas Mavericks last year, and being a key cog for them in a run to the Western Conference Finals, Brunson has had a career year with New York in a newfound opportunity to be their primary offensive engine.

Brunson has had 24.0 points and 6.2 assists per contest, and has hit a career-best three-point percentage of 41.6. He’s gotten to the free throw line 5.8 times per outing as well, after which he’s connected on 82.9 percent of those looks.

Brunson was one of the biggest All-Star snubs in the NBA this season, and he’s going to be a scary matchup offensively for the Cavaliers. He’s a three-level bucket-getter, similarly to Donovan Mitchell, albeit without the vertical element.

Brunson’s range, on-ball counters, pick-and-roll polish, both as a scorer and distributor, and his driving and finishing are all going to be tough to deal with. Plus, his post-up game for a guard is another wrinkle that New York can utilize in games.

For the Cavaliers, them having Isaac Okoro to help in on-ball work for extended stretches would be very meaningful for this series, given Okoro’s abilities against primary drivers, and his frame could theoretically contain Brunson, to some degree. Okoro has been progressing, but he was reportedly a limited participant in Cavs practice on Wednesday, so we’ll have to see.

Regardless, if the Knicks were to upset the Cavs, it’d likely start with Brunson playing at his absolute best as a self creator and playmaker for others. Cleveland has to mix up its coverages on the budding star.

On March 31, when he had a career-high 48 points, and on 18-of-32 shooting, and seven-of-12 from three, to go with nine assists. Sans Julius Randle (ankle sprain), Brunson was sensational. In that one, the Cavaliers didn’t have Okoro and Jarrett Allen (groin strain), which should be noted, though.