With Julius Randle’s status for the series opener still in limbo, the Cleveland Cavaliers are preparing for two different New York Knicks teams to show up in Game 1 of their first-round series.
“[Randle] is a big piece, so playing with him and without him are kind of two different games,” Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley told reporters after Wednesday’s practice. “With [Randle] on the floor, they’re definitely dynamic with him and [Jalen] Brunson, and then with him off the court, it’s mostly Brunson doing a lot of playmaking and stuff like that, so it’s different games basically.”
The Cavaliers had a glimpse of that during their last meeting when Brunson put them on notice with a career-high 48 points to lead the Knicks’ 130-116 comeback win.
“They’re a great team,” Mobley said. “They’re good in the pick and roll. Brunson is great [going] downhill, and they got good pieces around him. So, we’re really gonna have to lock in our defense, play our defensive schemes, and be in our spots.”
If Randle — the All-Star forward is scheduled to be re-evaluated today (April 13) and yet to be cleared for contact drills — somehow managed to play in Game 1, Mobley will be tasked to defend him.
“He’s a threat from the 3-point line, likes to drive left. He’s a left-handed player and strong,” Mobley said of Randle.
So he said the key is “to stay in front of him, being early when you get to him, closing out hard so you don’t have open threes.”
Mobley added they’re still studying the Knicks’ personnel, so he expects them to keep getting better at [game planning] and then honing in on Randle’s tendencies.
With Randle, Mobley thinks the Knicks like to play a little slower than most teams and settle in their pick-and-roll actions with Brunson.
“Basically, you just gotta be in your spots whenever stuff happens,” Mobley said. “They like to get in, snake a lot of dribbles, be on the ball a lot, and then kick out to an open [man] later in the clock, so you got to be willing to play defense all 24 seconds.”
How the Cavaliers Plan to Keep Knicks off the Glass
Even without Randle, their leading rebounder, the Knicks still dominated the Cavaliers in the glass during their final meeting.
Knicks centers Mitchell Robinson and Isaiah Hartenstein combined for 22 rebounds, while Josh Hart and RJ Barrett added seven each as they controlled the boards, 48-33. The Knicks destroyed the Cavaliers 16-3 in the offensive glass, leading to a 14-6 advantage in second-chance points.
It didn’t help that Cavaliers starting center Jarrett Allen was out. Mobley is confident they can fare better with Allen around.
“Just when the shot goes up, getting a body on them as quick as possible and
not letting them get under the rim,” said Mobley of what they need to do to keep the Knicks centers and rebounding guards off the glass. “We just have to use our size and strength, so just getting a body on them as early as possible, and then everyone else helps as well and collectively rebound [the ball].”
Underdog Knicks
Despite the Knicks winning their regular-season series, 3-1, the Cavaliers will enter their playoff matchup as the overwhelming favorites in five different sportsbooks.
Barrett was hardly surprised.
“Are you surprised by that?” asked Barrett, returning the question to the reporter. “So, just like I said, we have believed in ourselves since day one. And we’re gonna continue to believe in ourselves. At the end of the day, you gotta go on the court, show it and prove it. So that’s what we’re gonna try to do.”
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Evan Mobley Teases Cavs’ Game Plan Against Knicks With or Without Julius Randle