When the CBS Sports NBA staff picked Eastern Conference champions before the season began, only two teams received votes. The New York Knicks, who have home-court advantage throughout this series, got five votes. The Cleveland Cavaliers got the other three.
Both teams have transformed significantly since then. Nobody had a James Harden-for-Darius Garland swap on their bingo cards, and New York's playoff transformation has been remarkable. Cleveland needed two grueling seven-game series against Toronto and Detroit just to reach this point. After sweeping the 76ers, the Knicks had to wait more than a week before taking the floor again.
This series will determine who represents the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals against either the Spurs or the Thunder.
Knicks vs. Cavs predictions: ECF expert picks
Gonzalez: Knicks in 7. The Knicks are flying high with home-court advantage and avoiding the Pistons, who swept them in all three regular-season games. That said, this won't be easy. The rest vs. rust factor is real—they've had nearly a week and a half off since eliminating the Sixers.
OG Anunoby got valuable recovery time for his hamstring strain and was a full participant in practice this week, expected to return for Game 1. That's huge for New York. However, the Cavs won two Game 7s and arrive with Donovan Mitchell and both bigs playing at a high level. Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and company have their work cut out for them.
Herbert: Cavaliers in 6. The Knicks have been on an absolute tear with home-court advantage and a significant rest edge—almost nobody predicts Cleveland will win. I'm going against the grain because of Evan Mobley, who was excellent in the final games of the Pistons series. I don't see Karl-Anthony Towns picking the Cavs apart with Mobley guarding him.
Maloney: Knicks in 6. The Cavaliers have tons of individual talent but have been inconsistent all season, including through the first two playoff rounds. Could they suddenly clicking for two weeks and win this series? Yes. Do I trust them against a rolling Knicks team? No.
The Knicks have home-court advantage, a significant rest edge, and avoided the rough-and-tumble Pistons. It's hard to see Cleveland defending or rebounding well enough to win this series. The Knicks will advance to the Finals for the first time since 1999.
Quinn: Knicks in 6. Cleveland presents interesting matchup challenges. If CJ McCollum could torch Jalen Brunson one-on-one, Donovan Mitchell and James Harden will likely enjoy those looks. Evan Mobley is as well-suited as anyone to guarding the point-center version of Karl-Anthony Towns.
But the Knicks have won their last seven playoff games by a combined 185 points. They got nine days of rest—vital for OG Anunoby recovering from his hamstring strain—and have home-court advantage. The last time these teams met in the playoffs, Jarrett Allen admitted the lights were brighter than expected after Mitchell Robinson dominated him and the Cavaliers.