Size. Spacing. Talent. Depth. The Cleveland Cavaliers are built to test these new-look Knicks.
And their most recent moves only sharpen the edge of this Eastern Conference matchup.
Not only did the Cavaliers acquire more perimeter defenders capable of throwing bodies at Jalen Brunson (Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis) but they also traded Darius Garland for James Harden, an All-Star-for-All-Star swap that gives Cleveland another player capable of placing real pressure on what has at times been a porous Knicks point-of-attack defense.
Odds are slim these two teams meet in the playoffs, though a second-round series isn’t entirely off the table. Still, the Cavs are constructed to challenge the Knicks in the regular season in the exact ways New York will need to be prepared come April.
Because Harden and Donovan Mitchell are a handful — individually and together — and the Knicks, despite being loaded on the wings, could be ill-equipped to handle both for extended stretches.
The Cavaliers entered Tuesday’s matchup against the Knicks riding a 6-1 record since Harden made his Cleveland debut. The Beard walked into the game averaging 18.7 points, 8.7 assists, five rebounds and a steal per contest, shooting 51% from the field and a significant career-best 47% from three-point range.
So now the Knicks have more than just Mitchell to worry about in the backcourt.
If OG Anunoby is guarding Evan Mobley — as expected, given Anunoby primarily defends the four — it will likely fall to Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart to split the responsibility of guarding Cleveland’s All-Star guard duo. Head coach Mike Brown will almost certainly turn to Landry Shamet and Jose Alvarado for a defensive spark off the bench, but that becomes a collective effort against two elite shot creators.
Historically, the Knicks have owned the edge.
Brunson is 6-4 against Mitchell since joining the Knicks in the summer of 2022. He’s averaging 24 points across those 10 matchups, including a 34-point outburst in last Christmas’ victory over Cleveland.
Mitchell, meanwhile, is averaging roughly 26 points, five rebounds and five assists against the Knicks since arriving in Cleveland in 2022 — and has scored 25 or more in each of his last eight games against New York.
The Knicks own the record over the last 10 games. The Cavs have won three of the last five. And New York is 2-0 in the season series this year.
But Cleveland is no longer the same team.
And whether these two see each other in May or not, this version of the Cavaliers offers something the Knicks can’t ignore — a glimpse of the kind of offensive pressure they’ll need to solve when the games slow down and the matchups tighten.
