The Knicks’ extended break will soon finally be over. It’s back to game mode.
There is no more sitting back and watching to learn who their opponent will be in the Eastern Conference finals. It will be the Cavaliers, after their 125-94 Game 7 win over the Pistons in Detroit on Sunday.
Game 1 is set for Tuesday at Madison Square Garden.
For most of the regular season and entering the postseason, it seemed a given that the Knicks would have to go through the Celtics and Pistons in order to reach the finals. As it turns out, they won’t face either.
Now with the matchup set, let’s break down the top storylines:
The Knicks last played on May 10, which means they will have had a full week of rest before Sunday’s Game 1. That was critical for OG Anunoby, who has been recovering from a right hamstring strain that kept him out of Games 3 and 4 of the second round.
The Cavaliers, on the other hand, will have less than 48 hours in between Sunday’s win and Game 1. The two teams will be beginning the series on completely opposite ends of the rest spectrum.
“It’s good to give your body some rest,” Miles McBride said after practice on Friday. “Be able to sit back and watch your opponents beat each other up in a sense.”
It has certainly been well-documented how, after trailing 2-1 in the first round against the Hawks, the Knicks changed their offense. They’ve implemented a system that has Karl-Anthony Towns — not Jalen Brunson — facilitate with the ball in his hands at the elbows, allowing the others, including Brunson, to cut and set screens for each other around him.
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But that was with Onyeka Okongwu, the shell of Joel Embiid and the past-his-prime Andre Drummond guarding Towns. The conference finals will be a different story.
Evan Mobley — the reigning Defensive Player of the Year — and Jarrett Allen are much more athletic and stronger defenders than anyone Towns has faced this postseason. Will Towns still be able to command the offense? Or will they limit Towns’ impact?
It’s been a roller-coaster in this department for the Knicks. For the first half of the year, they struggled. For the second half of the year, it was much improved.
For the first half of the first round, CJ McCollum torched them. For the second half of that series, after switching Josh Hart onto him, the Knicks made him a non-factor. Then last round, Mikal Bridges did a terrific job of stifling Tyrese Maxey.
The Cavaliers present a two-headed threat on the perimeter with Donovan Mitchell and James Harden. Bridges will presumably guard one of them, likely Mitchell. Hart could match up with the other. Anunoby is an option as well.
“Point of attack is important, it’s the most important thing,” Towns said on Friday. “To have our wings and our guards playing defense at the perimeter at a high level, it makes my job easier but also makes our team better.”
Dyson Daniels gave Brunson a few issues early in the first round before Brunson, like he seemingly does with every, figured him out, particularly after the Knicks’ offensive change. The 76ers had no answer for Brunson, who torched VJ Edgecombe.
For the postseason, Brunson is averaging 27.4 points per game — on excellent 48.5 percent shooting from the field and 40.9 percent from 3-point range — along with 6.1 assists.
Dean Wade, though, guarded Brunson about as well as anyone in the regular season. Can he bother Brunson?
Those regular season matchups were before the Knicks’ offensive change, also.
The Knicks would have had to start on the road if it were the Pistons, but now own home-court advantage since it’s the Cavaliers. Playing the first two games at MSG — with the Cavaliers coming off a tiring series – could have a big impact. As can having a potential Game 7 at home.
The only time Brown has made the finals as a head coach was with the Cavaliers in 2007. It would be poetic if he returns by toppling the team that gave him his first head-coaching opportunity.
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