After a tough 101-97 loss in Game 1 to the New York Knicks, the Cleveland Cavaliers responded and surged to a dominant 17-point win in Game 2. With the series headed to Madison Square Garden tied 1-1, all eyes are on the crucial Friday night Game 3.
Thanks to a phenomenal scoring outburst by Cavaliers guard Darius Garland, the Cavaliers have put themselves in a favorable position going forward. His efforts led to 26 of Garland’s 32 points being scored in the first half, the most of Garland’s career. Garland showed a committed effort all game, earning a +29 plus-minus, the highest of any player that game.
Along with Garland, Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley tallied double-doubles. Mitchell earned 13 assists, a career-high in either a playoff or regular season game.
Before the Cavaliers travel to New York, these are three predictions that I believe could definitely happen in the next matchup.
Prediction No. 1: Cleveland changes their starting five
Over the 2022-2023 regular season, the Cavs deployed a total of 22 starting lineups due to injury and the season long campaign for a steady starter in the three spot. Former Auburn Tiger Isaac Okoro started in 46 games and started in both first round games against New York.
In Game One, Okoro played just under twenty three minutes, making one out of his six field goals. J.B. Bickerstaff drastically changed the team’s rotation in Game Two, taking Okoro out of the game two minutes and forty five seconds into the game in favor of Cedi Osman and Danny Green.
In Okoro’s short appearance, he gained two early fouls, missed one field goal, and committed two turnovers. Isaac Okoro’s knee injury may still be nagging, affecting his performance, leading to a need for more rest. The change in rotation came as a surprise, considering Okoro’s typical role as a starter and main perimeter defender for the Cavs.
While Isaac Okoro has served a critical role for the Cavaliers on defense throughout the season, the Knicks exploited his lack of scoring consistency in Game One by disregarding him on the perimeter when Cleveland held the ball.
The Cavs shifted toward a more spread out offensive approach in Game Two, playing either Evan Mobley or Jarrett Allen at center with four perimeter threats completing the lineup.
With this in mind, Bickerstaff will likely consider changing the starting five going into Game Three, possibly placing Osman or Green in Okoro’s spot to offer Cleveland a stronger threat from behind the arc.
Prediction No. 2: A physical, defensive contest
In both games thus far, neither team has reached 110 points over four quarters. In the regular season, Cleveland averaged 112.3 points per game, and New York averaged 116 points per game. The steep drop in points scored came from physical defense by both squads, leading to highlight reels of fastbreak action and tough defensive contests.
In the second quarter of Game Two, Quentin Grimes felt blood in his mouth, which was telling as far as playoff physicality. And to cap off the second game, Knicks star forward Julius Randle fell hard after a flagrant foul penalty 1 by Jarrett Allen with less than two minutes left.
The intensity of this first round series has been nothing less than thrilling. In the Garden, the intensity and physicality between the teams will only grow with every jaw dropping dunk and momentum shifting block.
After a brutal loss with plenty of physicality, the Knicks will not accept a similar fate on their own home court. Expect to see a fierce Julius Randle on both ends of the court. Each basket will be earned, and every player’s heart will be tried. In Game Three, resilience will be rewarded.
Both squads have been known to elevate their intensity in tight matchups. With Donovan Mitchell’s brush up with Dillon Brooks earlier this season, the Cleveland fanbase has seen the Cavs respond to physical contests. In response to Mitchell and Brooks being ejected, the Cavaliers ran up and down the court with reckless abandon and eyes set on nothing but winning.
Granted, the Cavaliers have to play with this type of mindset without a physical altercation igniting the hustle. In order to come out victorious, their intensity and grit will need to travel to New York with the Cavs.
With every possession being a fight to score and claw toward the second round, these games will continue to be determined by the team with stronger defense with fewer weak points to exploit.
Prediction No. 3: Cleveland takes the 2-1 series lead
Jalen Brunson came up big for New York in Game One, dropping 27 points and only committed a single turnover. Limiting his output was key to Cleveland’s win in Game Two, leaving Brunson shooting below 30 percent from the field for the first time since December.
Through assertive defensive traps forced Jalen Brunson into desperate passes and bad shots, a significant shift from the Cavs’ defensive gameplan in the first match.
Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff did what every coach needs to do coming off of a loss in the playoffs and adjusted the team’s strengths to respond to their shortcomings from before. There has been plenty of criticism toward Bickerstaff, earned and not earned, throughout the season, but his critical decisions have led Cleveland to figure out New York.
The Knicks’ troubles did not only come from Brunson’s offensive struggles. The Cavaliers won the rebounding battle in Game Two, which was crucial heading into that game, after losing the same battle in their original loss. As a team whose identity is centered on their defensive presence and dominant control of the post Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley create, failing to rebound leaves the Cavs with a poor chance to win.
Surely, Bickerstaff will continue to alter Cleveland’s approach going into Game Three in order to steal a game on the road and take his team closer to a deep postseason push.
Considering Cleveland’s determination, star power in Mitchell and Garland, and strategic game planning, the Cavaliers head to New York with a favorable opportunity to take the series lead.