2023 NBA Playoffs 1st Round: Cavs vs. Knicks

Dusted off the Fan Duel account after several months of inactivity to put money down on the Cavs winning in 5. I think NYK wins game 1 in Cleveland, then Cavs win 4 straight. Despite home court in Game 1, I think the Knicks will have the advantage having been there before. I think the youngsters (aside from Mobley honestly, he seems unflappable) will have a rough performance. Then they will come out with a fire game 2 and beyond.

I genuinely think this Cavs team is in a tier above the Knicks. I expect a majority of national media picks to be the Knicks. We will somehow be painted as the underdog in a series where we are the better team. Perfect, really.

*knock on wood*

I'm 100% positive we'll win this match-up in 5 or 6. The only thing Knicks have over Cavs is depth. That really isn't going to make a difference in a playoff series. Josh Hart is the x-factor for New York.

Also, quality over quantity in the playoffs. Cavs have the best player in Mitchell. He's a tier above everyone else between these two teams.

They'll get frustrated & try to intimidate us. It'll be a very good test for this young team, especially Mobley having to guard Randle. There's a lot to be learned in this series for this inexperienced bunch (aside from Mitchell).

Mitchell has so much playoff experience. I expect him to go off & get us into the 2nd round.

Any chance for some cross matches with Mobley beginning the possession on Brunson?

We've seen this from time to time throughout the year (Evan on Smart, etc) and it could muck up the Knicks half court sets. Brunson is successful as the PnR ball handler with 1.01 points per possession. 85th percentile. Not as good as Donovan, but very good none the less. Could live with switches with Allen. Mobley/Allen controlling Brunson PnR could be very interesting. The other Cavs will need to rotate to cutters for help defense though. Can live with Randle, Barrett, Grimes, Hart spotting up off the action.

Brunson is fast, strong, and can get to angles. But even if he gets a step on Evan/Jarrett, his weakside passing angles will be diminished due to their length and mobility. That opens up weakside passing lane steals for Darius (damn was he good at this in the play-in game against ATL last year), Mitchell, Ricky, Caris who have all demonstrated that capability. It's important for the other strong side defender not to overreact to Brunson, would rather they stay more at home with their assignment. Cavs will live with some midrange contested shots should Jalen try that. He can hit them but it wouldn't be the best result of the possession imo.

Okoro is the best option to start possessions on Jalen based on what we've seen to this point.

I love the defensive versatility the Cavs have. This team isn't going to be exposed on that end in the playoffs imo, they could be better with time to plan (I think they will further hone strong side hedging/helping so not as many wide open corner threes are given up except for certain opponents for example). Cannot wait for what's in store!

Lee said:

Pinchot, he from the same country as Luka and is a Perfect Stranger.

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Don't forget Langoliers:

Mitchell Robinson led the NBA with 4.5 offensive rebounds per game.


He cannot be allowed to average 4.5 ORB per game this series.

Omar The Horse said:

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None of our guys. Hmmm

Randle being out helps them I think. I am more scared of the Brunson/Grimes/Quickley trio than I am of Randle. Yes, he got super hot that one game, but Randle is a very hot/cold player who is more likely to give you a 5 TO 4-15 FG 12 point game than a 45 pt burner. His defense also falls waaaaay off (from average to Trae Young tier) when his offense isn't happening. Without his at times Dion Waiters tier decision making out there, I expect a more consistent offensive output. I guess we have to hope RJ Barrett picks up the slack for Randle

Omar The Horse said:

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I was watching film for the Knicks playoffs last time they were in (certainly some members like Brunson are not there) and one area showed that Randle had a terrible playoff series. He made very bad decisions as he had 23 turnovers including 8 in elimination game. Atlanta blitzed him or tried to make it look like double team at times, and Randle was indecisive. He threw the ball away a number of times, forced a bad shot, or was just plainly bad. He even shot 29 percent from the field. Perhaps it was his first playoff series but we shouldn’t get him comfortable. Make him uncomfortable and don’t get him into a rhythm.

Darius is gonna shine (offensively) in this series…

That arena better be electric as fuck that’s all I’m saying

I think it's a failure if they don't win. Not one they can't recover from. Humbling is valuable.

I think the team plays hard and for the most part smart. They are young and make mistakes tho.

I think the matchup favors the cavs. They have better guards and big people and NY wings aint all that.

Cavatt said:

I think it's a failure if they don't win. Not one they can't recover from. Humbling is valuable.

I think the team plays hard and for the most part smart. They are young and make mistakes tho.

I think the matchup favors the cavs. They have better guards and big people and NY wings aint all that.

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Agreed. I'd really like to see them win a series, of course. Losing in the second round will be no biggie, especially if they can eek out a game. These kids need some experience.

mds said:

Don't forget Langoliers:

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SCARING the LITTLE GIRL?! LADY!!

foucault87 said:

Randle being out helps them I think. I am more scared of the Brunson/Grimes/Quickley trio than I am of Randle. Yes, he got super hot that one game, but Randle is a very hot/cold player who is more likely to give you a 5 TO 4-15 FG 12 point game than a 45 pt burner. His defense also falls waaaaay off (from average to Trae Young tier) when his offense isn't happening. Without his at times Dion Waiters tier decision making out there, I expect a more consistent offensive output. I guess we have to hope RJ Barrett picks up the slack for Randle

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Randle is both their leading scorer and rebounder. Saying they are better without him is one hell of a stretch