The Knicks will take a 3-0 lead as the Cavaliers face a must-win Game 3 at home in the Conference Finals.
More series and games feel inevitable. There are others who have many mysteries and doubts. Unfortunately, the Eastern Conference Finals are not a series with a lot of intrigue. Going into it, I think most of us expected the Knicks to win the series. The question was not if the Cavaliers would lose, but by how many games. Game 3 looks like a must win for the Cavs to prove any doubters wrong.
In the first round of the playoffs, the New York Knicks looked like they were deliberately trying to find ways to make the series more difficult. They ended up defeating the Hawks in six games and then lost two games after collecting two points. In the second round, the 76ers couldn’t even fight the Knicks. In this series, they took the first two games of the Conference Finals.
New York Knicks guard Josh Hart reacts after making a basket against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the second quarter of the Eastern Conference finals of the 2026 NBA playoffs at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY, on May 21, 2026. (Photos by Vincent Carchietta/Imagn)
Game 1 is the game most people will talk about. The Knicks looked like they were going to take the first game of the series, and they were down by 22 points with seven minutes left in the fourth quarter. They outscored the Cavs 44-11 in the fourth quarter and overtime. It was a brutal stretch for the Cavaliers, and an even worse look for James Harden, who was bullied repeatedly.
The Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t even bother to fight in Game 2 of the series. Sure, they won the first quarter, but were outplayed again in the next three quarters. We know they are not very good on the road in the postseason. They have won twice on the road, both against the Pistons. The Game 7 win against Detroit was the only truly convincing win they’ve had as a visitor.
KNICKS STORM BACK TO SHOCK CAVS IN GAME 1 AS JAMES HARDEN’S DEFENSE PLAYS DOWN
Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks drives past the Cleveland Cavaliers in the third quarter in Game Two of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden in New York City on May 21, 2026. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Harden takes a lot of flak for his defense in Game 1, but the truth is that it’s a coaching problem, not a Harden problem. When you’re up by a lot, and you see Harden being bullied, you have to take him out of the game. You need to change the pace of the game and the strategy, but instead, they thought they were going to win, and the Knicks made them pay. The Cavs look lost, but returning home, where they are 6-1 in the postseason, could be just what they need to get right.
In this game, I expect the Cavs to throw the kitchen sink at the Knicks. That doesn’t mean they will win, but this is a game they must win. If they lose, they won’t play more than five games. Even if they win, it might not be more than five.
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Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers is defended by Landry Shamet and Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks in the second half of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals in New York, New York, on May 19, 2026. (Photo by Seth Wenig/AP)
I’m taking the Knicks here because the Cavs are a very tired, lackluster, and transitionless team. The series has always felt legit, with New York expected to make it to the finals. I gave the Knicks points in this one.
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