The New York Knicks are four wins away from ending their 26-year NBA Finals drought. And they’ll get a chance to secure those victories in front of their home fans at Madison Square Garden, starting with Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday.
Since the third-seeded Cavaliers toppled the top-seeded Detroit Pistons in the second round, the second-seeded Knicks will enjoy home-court advantage against Donovan Mitchell and Co. The Knicks would have been forced to travel to hostile Detroit if Cade Cunningham and Co. had prevailed in Sunday’s Game 7 against the Cavs.
Knicks Clinch Home Court
The news is a huge boost for a Knicks team that has crushed opponents by an average margin of 21.3 points in their four home wins in the playoffs thus far. Their lone loss at home — Game 2 vs the Atlanta Hawks in the first round — came down to clutch heroics from CJ McCollum, leading to a 1-point defeat. As such, the Knicks have been nearly invincible at home in the playoffs, averaging 118.0 points while shooting 52.6%.
To their credit, the Knicks have been just as dominant on the road, having drubbed opponents by an average margin of 27.8 points while going 4-1. That said, they’d obviously benefit from home court against a veteran ball club like the Cavaliers.
Knicks Favored to Reach NBA Finals
The news of the Knicks securing home court has boosted their chances to beat the Cavs, with oddsmakers tipping them as -300 favorites to advance to the NBA Finals. Furthermore, they open as huge 7.5-point favorites to take a 1-0 lead on Tuesday.
Oddsmakers have likely also taken into consideration that the Knicks beat the Cavaliers, 2-1, in their three regular-season series. Granted, those wins came long before the Knicks reshaped their offense and found their mojo, but it’s still a marker of how the teams match up in the Eastern Conference Finals.
ESPN’s Jamal Collier believes the matchups between the big men could decide the series, especially since Karl-Anthony Towns can force Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen to step out to the perimeter with his three-point shooting.
“Allen and Mobley have been maligned throughout their careers as not physical enough, so much so that speculation swirled about whether the team would eventually be better off splitting them up,” wrote Collier.
“But during these playoffs, they have responded with narrative-changing performances. Allen rose to the occasion to score 20 points in both of Cleveland’s Game 7s this postseason. Mobley flashed the all-around skill the Cavs have envisioned for years, a matchup problem on offense and one of the best interior defenders in the league.
“…Knicks big man Towns will present their most skilled matchup issue yet, especially considering Towns is playing the best basketball of his career.”
Knicks vs Cavaliers Game 1 tips off at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Last year, the Knicks lost to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Knicks Receive Best News Ever Ahead of East Finals vs Cavaliers