Knicks vs. Cavs: A position-by-position breakdown of NBA first-round playoff series

It’s not the best way to look at a matchup in basketball these days. There’s so much switching and mismatch hunting in the NBA that head-to-heads are rarely sustained. But the Tale of the Tape, as documented below, provides a window into the talent level.

And as we know, a playoff series can easily be won or lost on talent.

So here are judgments on seven individual matchups concerning No. 4 Cavs vs. No. 5 Knicks, which tips off Saturday night in Cleveland. Plus, you’ll get a bonus prediction at the end.

POINT GUARD

Jalen Brunson (24 ppg, 6.2 apg, 49% shooting, 41.6% on 3s) vs. Darius Garland (21.6 ppg, 7.8 apg, 46.2% shooting, 41% on 3s).

Great offense from the position on both sides, although Brunson adds intangibles such as leadership, clutch reliability and an eagerness to take a charge. He is New York’s glue. Clearly, he was also Dallas’s glue. Garland was an All-Star last year and is capable of dropping 50-plus points, which he did near the beginning of this season. But this will represent the 23-year-old’s first playoff appearance. Brunson also wins the experience battle.

EDGE: Knicks

SHOOTING GUARD

Quentin Grimes (11.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 46.8% shooting, 38.6% on 3s) vs. Donovan Mitchell (28.3 ppg, 4.4 apg, 48.4% shooting, 38.6% on 3s)

Grimes is a 3-and-D specialist whose main job is to stop Mitchell. That won’t be easy. No. 45 on Cleveland is the showstopper of the series, capable of dropping 3-pointers from near the circle and leaping over power forwards for a spectacular rim finish. Grimes will get help defending Mitchell (ahem, Josh Hart), but he’s also an important piece on offense. With so much pressure on Brunson and Julius Randle, Grimes will undoubtedly get open looks. Lately, he’s been knocking those down (44-for-91 on treys the last 10 games).

EDGE: Cavaliers

SMALL FORWARD

RJ Barrett (19.6 ppg, 5 rpg, 43.4% shooting, 31% on 3s) vs. Isaac Okoro (6.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 49.4% shooting, 36.3% on 3s).

Okoro is reportedly ‘likely’ to return Saturday after missing the final six games of the regular season with knee soreness. That would be big for the Cavs, who need their top perimeter defender to shadow Brunson (without Okoro playing, Brunson recently dropped 48 points on Cleveland). Barrett is the Knicks’ X-factor. He’s talented enough to take over — especially if Cleveland is paying more attention to Brunson and Randle — but his shot is so streaky that it could bury New York’s offense.

EDGE: Knicks

POWER FORWARD

Julius Randle (25.1 ppg, 10 rpg, 45.9% shooting, 34.3% on 3s) vs. Evan Mobley (16.2, 9 rpg, 55.4% shooting, 21.6% on 3s)

The health of Randle is the hot topic heading into the series, and the Knicks have done their best to conceal his status. But assuming he’s healthy, Randle will obviously play a huge role in the outcome of the series. He was terrible two years ago in his playoff debut, and this is an opportunity for redemption. Mobley is a handful and an All-Defense candidate who causes problems inside the paint. He has the size advantage at a rangy 6-11 but Randle is stronger and can stretch the floor.

EDGE: Knicks

CENTER

Mitchell Robinson (7.4 points, 9.4 rebounds, 67.1% shooting) vs. Jarrett Allen (14.3 points, 9.8 rebounds, 64.4% shooting)

Robinson’s gift, as Tom Thibodeau often says, is offensive rebounding. Add in some shot blocking and Robinson is filling his limited role just fine. Allen, a 2022 All-Star, is a little shorter but more versatile, gets involved frequently in the offense and anchored one of the NBA’s best defenses. These two have been compared for a while since Allen played much of his career in Brooklyn. Should be a fun matchup.

EDGE: Cavs

BENCH

The Knicks are, without a doubt, the deeper team. It wouldn’t be a shock if three of their reserves — Immanuel Quickley, Josh Hart and Isaiah Hartenstein— are closing games. Quickley took a giant leap this season, especially defensively, and emerged as a Sixth Man of the Year candidate. The Cavs have Caris LeVert, the former Net, who could get hot and change a game. But otherwise, they’re thin — albeit effective when they’re in the game. Luckily for Cleveland, rotations tend to tighten in the playoffs and starters play more.

EDGE: Knicks

COACHES

Tom Thibodeau (47-35) vs. J.B. Bickerstaff (51-31)

Hands down, Thibodeau gets the edge in experience. He was an assistant on a Knicks team that went to the Finals, an assistant on a Celtics team that won a title, and the head coach on a Bulls squad that advanced to the conference finals. It comes with age. Thibodeau is 65. Bickerstaff, who owns just one playoff win as a head coach, is 44. But Thibodeau also hasn’t won a postseason series in eight years. His career playoff record as a head coach is just 25-36. So both sidelines have something to prove. Thibodeau just has much more experience to draw upon here.

EDGE: Knicks.

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SERIES PREDICTION: Knicks in 7

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from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/xWOJXHg