Despite winning three of their four meetings in the regular season, the New York Knicks are the heavy underdogs against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the NBA Playoffs that begins on Saturday.
Donovan Mitchell and the Cavaliers are the overwhelming favorites in five different sportsbooks.
RJ Barrett was least surprised. He’s already used to it.
“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.”
RJ Barrett is asked if he feels like the Knicks are being counted out against the Cavaliers in the first round:
“We’ve believed in ourselves since day 1”
Barrett embodies the Knicks’ “Us against the world” mentality since getting snubbed from the All-Rookie team and ESPN’s Top 25 under 25.
RJ Barrett shares how the past couple of seasons will be a motivator for this upcoming season:
“I really think we’re gonna shock the world”
Before training camp began, Barrett boldly said: “I think we’re gonna shock the world!”
They did.
Playing with a chip on their shoulders, they defied the preseason odds of 38.5 wins, winning 47 games after a 10-13 start to book the fifth seed in the highly-competitive Eastern Conference.
Now, Barrett believes they can shock the world again.
Julius Randle on Track to Game 1 Return
To buck the odds again, the Knicks need Julius Randle back in the playoffs.
The Knicks All-Star forward is trending toward that direction after participating in non-contact drills during Tuesday’s practice.
“[Randle] did some, making steady progress, so [we] just take it day-to-day,” New York coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters after Tuesday’s practice. “He’s doing some running, shooting, scripting, that sort of thing. He meets with the medical [team] every day, so when he’s ready to go, he’s ready to go. But he’s made good steady progress. Each day, he’s a little bit better.”
Thibodeau, though, remained non-committal about Randle’s status in Game 1. He is scheduled to be re-evaluated on Thursday, two days before the series begins in Cleveland.
Jalen Brunson-Donovan Mitchell Face-off Round 2
Jalen Brunson and Mitchell meet again in the first round, this time in the East.
Brunson outdueled Mitchell last year out West, lifting his former team Dallas Mavericks on their way to the Western Conference Finals.
Brunson averaged 27.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists, including a scintillating playoff career-high 41 points in Game 2. Mitchell put up 25.5 points, 5.7 assists and 4.3 rebounds but only shot 39.8% from the field and a horrendous 20.8% from deep in an uninspiring first-round exit that signaled the end of his tenure with the Utah Jazz.
Brunson continued his rise, leading him to land a $104 million, four-year deal with the Knicks, the largest contract for a former second-round pick.
Mitchell nearly joined Brunson in New York, but the Cavaliers scooped him up at the 11th hour, to the surprise of the Knicks, who were believed to be the frontrunners to land the All-Star guard.
That only adds drama to the first-round series that Charles Barkley dubs “the only exciting about the Eastern Conference.”
Charles Barkley: “The only thing that’s exciting about the Eastern Conference is Knicks vs Cavaliers. That’s the only thing exciting
“America, don’t be foolish, they want you to watch these games; Philly, Boston, Milwaukee are head & shoulders above the rest of these bums in the…
Will Brunson continue to have Mitchell’s numbers? Or will Mitchell get his revenge?
Game 1 is scheduled to tip-off at 6 p.m. on Saturday on ESPN.
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RJ Barrett Sounds off on Knicks Being Underdogs Against Cavs