When Jayson Tatum went down with a torn Achilles and the Knicks advanced past a Celtics team that was already likely to make multiple trades to get under the second apron, the 2026 Eastern Conference title picture began to clear up.
When Tyrese Haliburton did the same in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, all of a sudden, the East champions were going to be without their best player for 2025-26. With Boston and Indiana all but out of the picture, it opened a power vacuum in the East.
That power vacuum will be partially filled by the Knicks, who fell to the Pacers in six games during the Eastern Conference Finals, but the team that might have the claim as early favorites in this questionable season is one that was reeling from an embarrassing exit in the second round after winning 64 games. Lost in the shuffle after their defeat were the Cleveland Cavaliers, who were one of the best teams in basketball all season and annihilated the Miami Heat in the first round before a baffling five-game defeat at the hands of the Pacers.
Now, despite the best efforts from the teams beneath them, it certainly seems like the Knicks and Cavaliers are fated to square off in the postseason for the second time in four years, this time for the right to play in the NBA Finals in 2026.
* October 28, 2024: Cavaliers won 110-104
* February 21, 2025: Cavaliers won 142-105
* April 2, 2025: Cavaliers won 124-105
* April 11, 2025: Cavaliers won 108-102
The only meeting in the first four months of the season came in the third game of the year after a blowout loss to Boston and a blowout win against Indiana. In this game, the Knicks dealt with Karl-Anthony Towns in foul trouble, which led to Ariel Hukporti’s [first time getting big minutes.](https://x.com/stricklandvids/status/1851078166871175257?s=46&t=VL9gUNuwzg1BJZx9G5jHyw) Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby played well, but Jalen Brunson went 8-for-24. Darius Garland dropped 34 as Cleveland came back from a 13-point deficit.
In February, Cleveland was 45-10, clicking on all cylinders, and _embarrassed_ the Knicks. Josh Hart was out, but Anunoby returned from injury. Nothing mattered, though. Brunson and KAT combined for an efficient 49 and everyone else was awful. Cleveland shot 60.9% from the field and went 19-for-37 from 3. Nobody played more than 26:10 for them.
The third meeting came with the Knicks essentially waving the white flag at tipoff, as Delon Wright started in place of an injured Brunson, Deuce McBride, and Cam Payne against a 60-15 team. Somehow, the Knicks once held a 15-point lead, but then immediately gave up a 36-14 run. They briefly came back to tie it at 83, but they didn’t have enough as Jarrett Allen had an ultra-efficient 21 with Mitchell Robinson resting.
The final meeting was a golden opportunity for the Knicks to get a statement win before the playoffs. Instead, they fell to 0-10 against the NBA’s Big Three. Despite no KAT, the Knicks should’ve taken advantage of no Spida, Ty Jerome, or De’Andre Hunter, but they proceeded to blow a 23-point lead. Three of the four losses to Cleveland blew 13+ point leads.
* **Wed, Oct 22, 2025:** Cavaliers @ Knicks (7:00, ESPN)
* **Thu, Dec 25, 2025:** Cavaliers @ Knicks (12:00, ABC)
* **Tue, Feb 24, 2026:** Knicks @ Cavaliers (8:00, NBC/Peacock)
Opening Night and Christmas in the World’s Most Famous Arena.
* Lonzo Ball (trade)
* Larry Nance Jr. (FA)
* Thomas Bryant (FA)
* Tyrese Proctor (draft)
* Ty Jerome (Grizzlies)
* Javonte Green (Pistons)
* Isaac Okoro (Bulls)
It was a lot of continuity for the Cavs despite a massive playoff disappointment. Evan Mobley’s making an All-NBA team skyrocketed his extension price, which puts them firmly in the dreaded second apron. They swapped [former Brunson stopper](https://x.com/cynicalnyk/status/1648071480884772864?s=46&t=VL9gUNuwzg1BJZx9G5jHyw) Isaac Okoro for Lonzo Ball and added depth in Nance and Bryant. Losing Ty Jerome will be a massive loss for their bench, but they extended sharpshooter Sam Merrill to try and make up for it.
**PG: Darius Garland (CLE)** / Jalen Brunson (NYK)
**SG: Donovan Mitchell (CLE)** / Mikal Bridges (NYK)
**SF: De’Andre Hunter (CLE)** / OG Anunoby (NYK)
**PF: Evan Mobley (CLE)** / Karl-Anthony Towns (NYK)
**C: Jarrett Allen (CLE)** / Mitchell Robinson (NYK)
There is no team in the association with a more locked-in starting five than the Cavaliers, who return all five starters from last year after acquiring Hunter from the Hawks at the trade deadline last year. The bigger question will be who steps up off the bench, as Sam Merrill, Max Strus, Dean Wade, and the recently acquired Bryant and Nance Jr. will compete for minutes.
Cleveland is one of the only teams that I cannot confidently say the Knicks are better than. Every time they played last year, the Cavs overwhelmed the Knicks on defense and had more than enough scoring to run them out of the gym. Despite Mike Brown promising to open up the offense and that alone could flip the script, he is also not as solely dedicated to regular-season victories as Tom Thibodeau. It’s not the end of the world to lose a season series; we know this from Boston last year.
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