Knicks vs. Cavaliers: Five things to watch in their NBA first-round playoff series
Knicks guard RJ Barrett puts up a layup against the Nuggets in the first half of an NBA game at Madison Square Garden on March 18. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Two years ago, the Knicks entered the postseason with the No. 4 seed, homecourt advantage and having beaten Atlanta four straight times in the regular season — and promptly got wiped out in five games. But this team, while without the homecourt advantage, will start in Cleveland with a belief that things will be different, and with good reason.
The Knicks are far better than they were two seasons ago, a much deeper and more complete team, as well as having experienced the pain of that postseason loss. But they enter as underdogs and for them to upset the odds here are some things to watch for in the best-of-seven series.
Randle’s ankle
It has been a heavily scrutinized injury, but thanks to the Knicks hiding Randle like the secrets to a magic trick, no one knows quite how bad Randle’s ankle is or how far along in his rehab he has come. The last we saw him in uniform he was nearly collapsing as he made his way toward the locker room on March 29. The only sighting of Randle since has been an Easter Sunday appearance on the bench with no protective boot and only a slight limp discernible as he walked between his family's seats to a spot on the Knicks' bench. As the Knicks departed for Cleveland and Saturday’s Game 1 Randle had yet to be cleared for contact, raising a conundrum. Randle rarely sits if he can get on the court, but would the Knicks and Randle be better served to provide him with extra rest? And if he is not fully healthy can he perform the way the Knicks need him to play?
The Mitchell matchup
Donovan Mitchell was supposed to be a Knick. Let’s just put that out there. The team had every intention of dealing for him last summer and New York was his preferred destination. And he has seemed to have a chip on his shoulder that the Knicks balked at the package necessary to make the deal with Utah while Cleveland swooped in. One player the Knicks are believed to have refused to include in a deal is Quentin Grimes and he will draw the first assignment of defending Mitchell. While Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau insists it is a team assignment Grimes has been the best perimeter defender this season with Josh Hart likely next in line. Did we mention someone also has to stick to Darius Garland?
Barrett showcase
RJ Barrett could have gone to Utah in a Mitchell deal last summer, but when it fell apart he was signed to a four-year contract extension and now has had to adjust to a new role: third wheel on offense behind Jalen Brunson and Randle. He talked this week about adapting to that and admitted, “Man, it was a year . . . It's been different from last year for sure for me personally. But if you look at my numbers, look at what I've done, I've still been able to produce. I'm still a very confident part of this team. And I'm going to give everything I've got to help the team win.” His defense hasn’t been quite the same either. But now, against the player who he was shopped for, Barrett has a chance to step forward.
The X-factors
While the injuries to Randle and Cleveland’s Isaac Okoro (day-to-day with a sore knee) may be the biggest unknowns, there are players not getting headlines who could swing the series. For Cleveland, it seems as if Darius Garland has almost slipped under the radar despite being an All-Star last season who averaged 21.6 points and 7.8 assists this time, numbers that barely slipped from last season with the arrival of Mitchell. And for the Knicks there are two worth keeping an eye on. Hart has already become a crucial rotation piece, finishing games in place of Barrett or Grimes. But if Randle is limited or out he could pick up big minutes at power forward despite giving up eight inches to Cleveland’s Evan Mobley — at the expense of playing time for Obi Toppin. And there could be a Deuce McBride sighting since some Knicks folks were impressed with his defense against Mitchell this season.
Old-school inside play
The Knicks like to get to the rim and the Cavs are as good as any team at stopping that, finishing first in defensive rating and third in opponents' points in the paint. The Knicks were first in that category. So the tandem of seven-footers in Mobley and Jarrett Allen will have to contend with not only the Knicks driving to the rim, but also the offensive rebounding of Mitchell Robinson.
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
