Knicks-Cavs Playoff Sequel Could Decide East's 'Sleeper'

A potential postseason rematch between the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers could have lasting implications on the Eastern Conference's championship picture.

This spring, sequels to "Kung Fu Panda," "Ghostbusters," "Mad Max: Fury Road," "Inside Out," and "Bad Boys" will all hit theaters. None of them, however, may match the stakes and thrills of another follow-up staged on the hardwood.

The 2023-24 NBA season is just about halfway over, as all but two (Cleveland, Golden State) of the 30 teams have played at least half of their 82 games. It's as good a time as any to look at the current state of the playoff bracket, which would feature the aforementioned Cleveland Cavaliers battling the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference's respective battle of fourth and fifth seeds.

A postseason staging between New York and Cleveland would be a rematch of last year's 4-vs.-5 matchup in the East, one that saw the Knicks prevail in five games to secure their first playoff series victory in a decade. Count longtime NBA analyst/statistician John Hollinger among those intrigued by a rematch, as he dedicated his latest column for The Athletic to previewing such a concept.

"(I)t already seems like we’re headed toward a spicy Cleveland-New York rematch in the first round of the playoffs," Hollinger wrote. "Here’s the twist: it’s likely we’ll be seeing a much better version of each team this time around."

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Hollinger believes that another Knicks-Cavs matchup would leave a profound impact on the broader Eastern Conference playoff picture: with the conference penthouse occupied and fortified by Boston, Milwaukee, and Philadelphia, Hollinger says that the greatest threat to that triumvirate would reside in either Manhattan or Cleveland.

"The East’s Celtics-Bucks-Sixers holy trinity deservedly soaks up a lot of our attention, while New York and Cleveland haven’t yet shown they can hang at the highest playoff levels, Hollinger said. "But if there’s a sleeper in the East, it’s one of these two." 

Any modern get-together between the Knicks and Cavs carries the weight of the Donovan Mitchell subplot, which saw Cleveland swoop in when Leon Rose and Co. removed themselves from the hunt for the former Utah star's services. But twists and turns offer a complicated playoff path for reasons far beyond Mitchell.

For one thing, the Cavs and Knicks have respectively stood as the hottest teams in basketball since the calendar flipped to 2024: Cleveland is 7-1 while the Knicks are right behind them at 9-2 since trading for OG Anunoby on the penultimate day of 2023.

Though Anunoby's defense has served as a major paradigm shift in Manhattan, Hollinger believes that his arrival could create a more offensive-minded series as compared to last year's five-game set. 

"While Anunoby by himself doesn’t change the spacing equation that much, the player he replaced (RJ Barrett) wasn’t a three-point threat; at 34.6 percent career on low volume, opponents would slough off him in the playoffs. Anunoby is a good shooter, from the corners especially, who shoots threes more often than Barrett and is at 37.6 percent career from deep."

"The deal cost New York a high-volume three-point shooter in Immanuel Quickley, but many of his minutes will be soaked up by other volume shooters (Quentin Grimes, Donte DiVincenzo)." 

On the opponents' side, Hollinger believes that Cleveland's offseason renovations have given the Knicks more to worry about. Despite numerous injuries to headliners like Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, the new Cavs have survived thanks to outside antics from Sam Merrill, Georges Niang, and Max Strus.

"Overall, the Cavs have gone from 17th in three-point attempt rate a season ago to seventh this season, but the really instructive part is the 3s that aren’t from Mitchell or Garland," Hollinger notes. "Those two are the ones handling the ball to initiate plays, and they are actually launching less often (19.5 combined threes per 100 possessions, compared to 22.5 last season). It’s the Cavs’ floor spacers who are doing all the damage, opening the court for the guards to get to more valuable spots."  

Knicks Were Right to Ditch Playoff Foe Donovan Mitchell, Win or Lose

The Knicks and Cavs have met twice this season, splitting a back-to-back on Oct. 31/Nov. 1 as each team successfully defended its home floor. A rubber match is scheduled for March 3 in Cleveland.

In the meantime, the Knicks (26-17) will look to keep their good fortunes alive when they face the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night at Barclays Center (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT).