{"id":1942768,"date":"2026-05-19T07:59:29","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T04:59:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1942768"},"modified":"2026-05-19T07:59:29","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T04:59:29","slug":"knicks-vs-cavaliers-streaming-tv-info-and-full-eastern-conference-finals-schedule","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1942768","title":{"rendered":"Knicks vs. Cavaliers streaming, TV info, and full Eastern Conference finals schedule"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"Article_ContentContainer__jBNW3 article-content-container bodytext1\">\n<p>In a rare and gripping twist, the East\u2019s top two seeds have been knocked out before the conference finals. Enter the New York Knicks, who are blurring past their recent opponents with ruthless cool. And enter the Cleveland Cavaliers, who keep valiantly warding off elimination from the cliff\u2019s edge.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-container\">\n<div class=\"ad-wrapper article-treatment\">\n<div class=\"ad-slug-container\">\n<p class=\"ad-slug\">Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mid1\" data-position=\"mid1\" class=\"ad place-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>This seminal matchup pairs Jalen Brunson and Donovan Mitchell, two of basketball\u2019s best bucket-getters. It links Karl-Anthony Towns and James Harden, perennial All-Stars with holes in their playoff legacies. It tethers intense and devoted fanbases, lest we forget.<\/p>\n<p>Whether you\u2019re here for \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=PSCdq1s5ekI\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Go NY Go<\/a>\u201d or \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=i47lyjYF5As\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Cleveland Rocks<\/a>,\u201d consider this your series landing spot for all seven potential broadcasts.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2>How to watch No. 3 New York Knicks vs. No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers<\/h2>\n<div id=\"ath_table_889645\" class=\"tab-content relative\">\n<div id=\"table-preview-889645\" class=\"table-responsive border-transparent-imp\">\n<table class=\"in-article table border-transparent-imp in-article-striped in-article-no-column-border-right in-article-no-column-border-left\" style=\"max-width: none;margin: 0\">\n<thead class=\"allcaps\">\n<tr>\n<th class=\"user-select-none relative nowrap-imp\"><span class=\"left\">Game<\/span><\/th>\n<th class=\"user-select-none relative nowrap-imp\"><span class=\"left\">Date<\/span><\/th>\n<th class=\"user-select-none relative nowrap-imp\"><span class=\"left\">Time (ET)<\/span><\/th>\n<th class=\"user-select-none relative nowrap-imp\"><span class=\"left\">TV<\/span><\/th>\n<th class=\"user-select-none relative nowrap-imp\"><span class=\"left\">Stream<\/span><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<div><span class>1: @ NY<\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<div><span>Tue., May 19<\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<div><span>8 p.m.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<div><span>ESPN<\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<div><span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fubo.tv\/stream\/nba\/?irmp=5579095&amp;irad=356361\" target=\"_blank\">Fubo (Watch Now)<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<div><span class>2: @ NY<\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<div><span>Thu., May 21<\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<div><span>8 p.m.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<div><span>ESPN<\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<div><span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fubo.tv\/stream\/nba\/?irmp=5579095&amp;irad=356361\" target=\"_blank\">Fubo (Watch Now)<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<div><span>3: @ CLE<\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<div><span>Sat., May 23<\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<div><span>8 p.m.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<div><span>ESPN<\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<div><span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fubo.tv\/stream\/nba\/?irmp=5579095&amp;irad=356361\" target=\"_blank\">Fubo (Watch Now)<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<div><span>4: @ CLE<\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<div><span>Mon., May 25<\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<div><span>8 p.m.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<div><span>ESPN<\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<div><span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fubo.tv\/stream\/nba\/?irmp=5579095&amp;irad=356361\" target=\"_blank\">Fubo (Watch Now)<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<div><span class>5*: @ NY<\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<div><span>Wed., May 27<\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<div><span>8 p.m.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<div><span>ESPN<\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<div><span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fubo.tv\/stream\/nba\/?irmp=5579095&amp;irad=356361\" target=\"_blank\">Fubo (Watch Now)<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<div><span>6*: @ CLE<\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<div><span>Fri., May 29<\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<div><span>8 p.m.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<div><span>ESPN<\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<div><span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fubo.tv\/stream\/nba\/?irmp=5579095&amp;irad=356361\" target=\"_blank\">Fubo (Watch Now)<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<div><span class>7*: @ NY<\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<div><span>Sun., May 31<\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<div><span>8 p.m.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<div><span>ESPN<\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<div><span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fubo.tv\/stream\/nba\/?irmp=5579095&amp;irad=356361\" target=\"_blank\">Fubo (Watch Now)<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>if([&#8220;rgb(17, 17, 17)&#8221;, &#8220;rgb(0, 0, 0)&#8221;, &#8220;rgb(18, 18, 18)&#8221;, &#8220;rgb(26, 26, 26)&#8221;].indexOf(getComputedStyle(document.body).backgroundColor) != -1) {var x = document.querySelectorAll(&#8220;#ath_table_889645 .ia-hlt&#8221;);for (var i = 0; i &lt; x.length; i++) {x[i].classList.add(&quot;dark-mode&quot;);}}var all_table_images = document.querySelectorAll(&quot;#ath_table_889645 img&quot;); for (var i = 0; i &lt; all_table_images.length; i++) {all_table_images[i].removeAttribute(&quot;onclick&quot;)};var link = document.createElement(&quot;link&quot;);link.rel = &quot;stylesheet&quot;;link.type = &quot;text\/css&quot;;link.href = &quot;https:\/\/use.typekit.net\/cuz4pky.css&quot;;document.getElementsByTagName(&quot;HEAD&quot;)[0].appendChild(link);var link = document.createElement(&quot;link&quot;);link.rel = &quot;stylesheet&quot;;link.type = &quot;text\/css&quot;;link.href = &quot;https:\/\/use.typekit.net\/dtk6elt.css&quot;;document.getElementsByTagName(&quot;HEAD&quot;)[0].appendChild(link);var link = document.createElement(&quot;link&quot;);link.rel = &quot;stylesheet&quot;;link.type = &quot;text\/css&quot;;link.href = &quot;https:\/\/theathletic.com\/app\/themes\/athletic\/assets\/css\/tables.css&quot;;document.getElementsByTagName(&quot;HEAD&quot;)[0].appendChild(link);<\/p>\n<p><em>* if necessary<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>All ESPN programs are also available with an ESPN Unlimited subscription.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2>How the Knicks got here<\/h2>\n<p>Since enduring back-to-back 1-point losses against the Atlanta Hawks, Mike Brown\u2019s Knicks have surged to seven uninterrupted playoff Ws \u2014 by an absurd average margin of more than 26 points. This fever dream is turning Manhattan into an extended, ongoing \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/giphy.com\/gifs\/sidetalknyc-take-the-l-sidetalk-takethel-SskdP9VDYtJzIsHiTg\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Sidetalk<\/a>\u201d video:<\/p>\n<div data-ath-video-stream=\"8UfSNYYAZhsf7mx\"><\/div>\n<p>The New York offense has been pure silk. Through 10 playoff games, it\u2019s shooting better than 51 percent from the field and better than 40 percent on 3s. In the second-round sweep of the rival Philadelphia 76ers, the mettlesome Brunson averaged 29 points on 51.3\/44.8\/92 percent splits. He was efficient with the ball in his hands and posted six assists to just 1.8 turnovers per outing.<\/p>\n<p>Towns looked brilliant and blistering as well, with 61.8\/54.5\/82.4 percent splits against the Sixers. He was also a dimer, dishing out at least six assists in all four games and an even 10 in the series closeout. The center\u2019s expanded playmaking left Brunson fresh down the stretch.<\/p>\n<p>After he was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7079705\/2026\/03\/02\/the-complicated-season-of-knicks-mikal-bridges\/\">stuck under the microscope<\/a> in the Knicks\u2019 opening round, Mikal Bridges stabilized throughout the conference semifinals. He finished at 17.5 points per game and shot above 63 percent. Fellow wing Josh Hart was the oil that kept the engine running off the glass and in transition. Elsewhere, New York got white-hot spells from Landry Shamet (5-of-6 shooting in Game 3) and Miles McBride (7-for-10 shooting in Game 4).<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-container\">\n<div class=\"ad-wrapper article-treatment\">\n<div class=\"ad-slug-container\">\n<p class=\"ad-slug\">Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mid2\" data-position=\"mid2\" class=\"ad place-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The lone blemish was OG Anunoby\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7276183\/2026\/05\/13\/og-anunoby-injury-update-status-knicks-nba-playoffs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">right hamstring injury<\/a> \u2014 he pulled up in pain during Game 2, and sat out the subsequent two wins. The Knicks listed him as probable ahead of Game 1 against the Cavs. At full strength, Anunoby is one of the league\u2019s top two-way talents. He\u2019s scored 21.4 points per playoff game, and he has the best true shooting mark of all players averaging more than 30 minutes this postseason.<\/p>\n<p>This is the franchise\u2019s second consecutive conference finals appearance. Before that, it had been 25 years since the Knicks\u2019 previous berth. New York\u2019s last trip to the NBA Finals was in 1999 as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1999\/06\/12\/sports\/nba-playoffs-knicks-shrug-off-adversity-once-again-to-reach-finals.html\">defiant No. 8 seed<\/a>. Its last title came in 1973, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1973\/05\/12\/archives\/knicks-perfect-championship-blend-teamwork-and-poise-under-pressure.html\">on the shoulders of greats<\/a> like Walt Frazier and Willis Reed.<\/p>\n<div id=\"inline-graphic\">\n<p>        a.showcase-link-container {<br \/>\n  display: flex;<br \/>\n  gap: 20px;<br \/>\n  flex-direction: column;<br \/>\n  align-items: center;<br \/>\n  padding: 20px 0px;<br \/>\n  border-top: 1px solid rgba(150, 150, 147, 0.4);<br \/>\n  border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(150, 150, 147, 0.4);<br \/>\n  text-decoration: none;<br \/>\n  color: #121212;<br \/>\n  cursor: pointer;<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link {<br \/>\n    font-family: nyt-franklin;<br \/>\n    font-size: 14px;<br \/>\n    font-style: normal;<br \/>\n    font-weight: 700;<br \/>\n    line-height: 13.8px;<br \/>\n    letter-spacing: 1.1px;<br \/>\n    text-transform: uppercase;<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link-image {<br \/>\n    border-radius: 8px;<br \/>\n    object-fit: cover;<br \/>\n    width: 200px;<br \/>\n    height: 150px;<br \/>\n    margin: 0px;<br \/>\n    @media (max-width: 600px) {<br \/>\n      width: 120px;<br \/>\n      height: 120px;<br \/>\n    }<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link-inner-content {<br \/>\n    display: flex;<br \/>\n    flex-direction: row;<br \/>\n    gap: 16px;<br \/>\n    width: 100%;<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link-text-content {<br \/>\n    display: flex;<br \/>\n    flex-direction: column;<br \/>\n    gap: 20px;<br \/>\n    justify-content: center;<br \/>\n    @media (max-width: 600px) {<br \/>\n      gap: 8px;<br \/>\n    }<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link-title {<br \/>\n    font-family: nyt-cheltenham;<br \/>\n    font-size: 24px;<br \/>\n    font-style: normal;<br \/>\n    font-weight: 500;<br \/>\n    line-height: 120%; \/* 24px *\/<br \/>\n    letter-spacing: 0.01px;<br \/>\n    text-overflow: ellipsis;<br \/>\n    overflow: hidden;<br \/>\n    display: -webkit-box;<br \/>\n    -webkit-box-orient: vertical;<br \/>\n    -webkit-line-clamp: 3;<br \/>\n    @media (max-width: 600px) {<br \/>\n      font-size: 16px;<br \/>\n    }<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link-excerpt {<br \/>\n    font-family: nyt-imperial;<br \/>\n    font-size: 16px;<br \/>\n    font-style: normal;<br \/>\n    font-weight: 400;<br \/>\n    line-height: 139%; \/* 19.46px *\/<br \/>\n    color: #323232;<br \/>\n    text-overflow: ellipsis;<br \/>\n    overflow: hidden;<br \/>\n    display: -webkit-box;<br \/>\n    -webkit-box-orient: vertical;<br \/>\n    -webkit-line-clamp: 4;<br \/>\n    @media (max-width: 600px) {<br \/>\n      font-size: 12px;<br \/>\n      line-height: 121%;<br \/>\n    }<br \/>\n  }<br \/>\n}<\/p>\n<p>.showcase-link-inputs {<br \/>\n  .showcase-link-input {<br \/>\n    width: 100%;<br \/>\n    font-size: 1rem;<br \/>\n    background-color: white;<br \/>\n    margin-bottom: 12px;<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link-indent {<br \/>\n    margin-left: 25px;<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  option {<br \/>\n    width: 100%;<br \/>\n  }<br \/>\n}<\/p>\n<p>@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {<br \/>\n  .native-mobile a.showcase-link-container {<br \/>\n    background-color: #121212;<br \/>\n    color: #f0f0ee;<br \/>\n    .showcase-link-excerpt {<br \/>\n      color: #c4c4c0;<br \/>\n    }<br \/>\n  }<br \/>\n}<\/p>\n<p>            \/\/ Remove all onclicks on imgs for apps to prevent image zoom on click<br \/>\n            document.querySelectorAll(&#8216;.showcase-link-image&#8217;).forEach((img) =&gt; img.removeAttribute(&#8216;onclick&#8217;));<\/p>\n<p>        <a id=\"showcase-link-7271267\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7271267\/2026\/05\/12\/miles-mcbride-tattoo-sibling-rivalry-knicks-playoffs-run\/\" class=\"showcase-link-container in-content-module-link testbed-shortcode\" data-shortcode-id=\"101\" data-shortcode-string=\"showcase-link\" data-content-id=\"7271267\" data-content-post-type=\"article\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"showcase-link\">More on McBride<\/div>\n<div class=\"showcase-link-inner-content\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2026\/05\/11181641\/GettyImages-2274997253.jpg?width=400&amp;quality=70\" alt=\"Miles McBride\u2019s \u2018Golden Child\u2019 tattoo turns sibling rivalry into Knicks fuel\" class=\"showcase-link-image\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"showcase-link-text-content\">\n<div class=\"showcase-link-title\">\n                  Miles McBride\u2019s \u2018Golden Child\u2019 tattoo turns sibling rivalry into Knicks fuel\n              <\/div>\n<div class=\"showcase-link-excerpt\">\n                  &#8220;He got this as a middle finger to me,\u201d says McBride&#8217;s older brother Trey, of the leg tattoo.\n              <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>        <\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<h2>How the Cavaliers got here<\/h2>\n<p>Bend it might, but Cleveland refuses to break. Kenny Atkinson\u2019s crew arrives off two seven-game series breakthroughs, each with its own tension and redemptive arc.<\/p>\n<p>The Cavs survived a loopy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7247754\/2026\/05\/02\/rj-barrett-shot-raptors-kawhi-leonard\/\">bounce-in buzzer-beater<\/a> up in Toronto, as they went on to best the Raptors with their Game 7 door slam. Jarrett Allen had a 22-point, 19-rebound gem to seal it. Cleveland shined in its own building but dropped all three road tests.<\/p>\n<p>As they did in the first round, the Cavaliers grabbed a 3-2 series lead, this time on the top-seeded Detroit Pistons. And like last time, they squandered a Game 6 closeout chance. But the second winner-take-all triumph happened within (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7287721\/2026\/05\/18\/cavs-dan-gilbert-game-7-win-detroit\/\">mostly<\/a>) hostile territory. It wasn\u2019t even close \u2014 the 125-94 final was reached before empty seats. The brick-wall Allen excelled yet again and set a playoff career high with 23 points.<\/p>\n<p>Mitchell is averaging 25.6 points on 44.5 percent shooting through two full-length rounds. He tied a postseason record with 39 second-half points in last round\u2019s Game 4 win. Harden is the team\u2019s second-leading scorer at 20.1 points, but on just 41.5 percent efficiency and 4.8 turnovers per game. Inside-out Evan Mobley looks more effective, averaging 17 points and converting on better than 55 percent of his tries. Mobley has hauled in 2.2 offensive rebounds per game; Allen has added three on average.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-container\">\n<div class=\"ad-wrapper article-treatment\">\n<div class=\"ad-slug-container\">\n<p class=\"ad-slug\">Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mid3\" data-position=\"mid3\" class=\"ad place-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>As those four players take on extra playoff strain, Atkinson will need to summon something from his supporting cast. Max Strus ratchets up the energy via loose-ball dives and second-chance hustle. Dennis Schr\u00f6der spells the Mitchell-Harden possessions with verve. Plug-and-play Sam Merrill is sinking more than 40 percent of his 3s, while Dean Wade has Cleveland\u2019s top net rating in these playoffs.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, this Cavs core has a unique opportunity to reclaim disparate narratives. Mitchell is in the first conference finals of his nine-year career. It wasn\u2019t for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/4209145\/2021\/06\/19\/clippers-complete-comeback-vs-jazz-advance-to-first-ever-conference-finals\/\">a lack of trying<\/a>. Harden can compress his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7259214\/2026\/05\/07\/james-harden-cavs-pistons-2026-nba-playoffs-stats\/\">long list of playoff stumbles<\/a> with one Hall of Fame showing. Allen, who once said \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/shorts\/mc3EizjtUi8\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">the lights were brighter than expected<\/a>,\u201d takes Madison Square Garden as the man in the middle.<\/p>\n<p>Together, Cleveland can vindicate its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7020852\/2026\/02\/04\/james-harden-darius-garland-cavaliers-trade\/\">ambitious Harden trade<\/a>. Better still, it can conquer its conference without the NBA\u2019s all-time leading scorer as a default. The franchise\u2019s last run this deep without LeBron James was in 1992, when it challenged Michael Jordan\u2019s Chicago Bulls in a six-game battle.<\/p>\n<div id=\"inline-graphic\">\n<p>        a.showcase-link-container {<br \/>\n  display: flex;<br \/>\n  gap: 20px;<br \/>\n  flex-direction: column;<br \/>\n  align-items: center;<br \/>\n  padding: 20px 0px;<br \/>\n  border-top: 1px solid rgba(150, 150, 147, 0.4);<br \/>\n  border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(150, 150, 147, 0.4);<br \/>\n  text-decoration: none;<br \/>\n  color: #121212;<br \/>\n  cursor: pointer;<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link {<br \/>\n    font-family: nyt-franklin;<br \/>\n    font-size: 14px;<br \/>\n    font-style: normal;<br \/>\n    font-weight: 700;<br \/>\n    line-height: 13.8px;<br \/>\n    letter-spacing: 1.1px;<br \/>\n    text-transform: uppercase;<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link-image {<br \/>\n    border-radius: 8px;<br \/>\n    object-fit: cover;<br \/>\n    width: 200px;<br \/>\n    height: 150px;<br \/>\n    margin: 0px;<br \/>\n    @media (max-width: 600px) {<br \/>\n      width: 120px;<br \/>\n      height: 120px;<br \/>\n    }<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link-inner-content {<br \/>\n    display: flex;<br \/>\n    flex-direction: row;<br \/>\n    gap: 16px;<br \/>\n    width: 100%;<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link-text-content {<br \/>\n    display: flex;<br \/>\n    flex-direction: column;<br \/>\n    gap: 20px;<br \/>\n    justify-content: center;<br \/>\n    @media (max-width: 600px) {<br \/>\n      gap: 8px;<br \/>\n    }<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link-title {<br \/>\n    font-family: nyt-cheltenham;<br \/>\n    font-size: 24px;<br \/>\n    font-style: normal;<br \/>\n    font-weight: 500;<br \/>\n    line-height: 120%; \/* 24px *\/<br \/>\n    letter-spacing: 0.01px;<br \/>\n    text-overflow: ellipsis;<br \/>\n    overflow: hidden;<br \/>\n    display: -webkit-box;<br \/>\n    -webkit-box-orient: vertical;<br \/>\n    -webkit-line-clamp: 3;<br \/>\n    @media (max-width: 600px) {<br \/>\n      font-size: 16px;<br \/>\n    }<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link-excerpt {<br \/>\n    font-family: nyt-imperial;<br \/>\n    font-size: 16px;<br \/>\n    font-style: normal;<br \/>\n    font-weight: 400;<br \/>\n    line-height: 139%; \/* 19.46px *\/<br \/>\n    color: #323232;<br \/>\n    text-overflow: ellipsis;<br \/>\n    overflow: hidden;<br \/>\n    display: -webkit-box;<br \/>\n    -webkit-box-orient: vertical;<br \/>\n    -webkit-line-clamp: 4;<br \/>\n    @media (max-width: 600px) {<br \/>\n      font-size: 12px;<br \/>\n      line-height: 121%;<br \/>\n    }<br \/>\n  }<br \/>\n}<\/p>\n<p>.showcase-link-inputs {<br \/>\n  .showcase-link-input {<br \/>\n    width: 100%;<br \/>\n    font-size: 1rem;<br \/>\n    background-color: white;<br \/>\n    margin-bottom: 12px;<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link-indent {<br \/>\n    margin-left: 25px;<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  option {<br \/>\n    width: 100%;<br \/>\n  }<br \/>\n}<\/p>\n<p>@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {<br \/>\n  .native-mobile a.showcase-link-container {<br \/>\n    background-color: #121212;<br \/>\n    color: #f0f0ee;<br \/>\n    .showcase-link-excerpt {<br \/>\n      color: #c4c4c0;<br \/>\n    }<br \/>\n  }<br \/>\n}<\/p>\n<p>            \/\/ Remove all onclicks on imgs for apps to prevent image zoom on click<br \/>\n            document.querySelectorAll(&#8216;.showcase-link-image&#8217;).forEach((img) =&gt; img.removeAttribute(&#8216;onclick&#8217;));<\/p>\n<p>        <a id=\"showcase-link-7287760\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7287760\/2026\/05\/18\/donovan-mitchell-cavaliers-pistons-breakthrough-moment\/\" class=\"showcase-link-container in-content-module-link testbed-shortcode\" data-shortcode-id=\"101\" data-shortcode-string=\"showcase-link\" data-content-id=\"7287760\" data-content-post-type=\"article\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"showcase-link\">More on Mitchell<\/div>\n<div class=\"showcase-link-inner-content\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2026\/05\/17230726\/GettyImages-2276802841-1024x683.jpg?width=400&amp;quality=70\" alt=\"Donovan Mitchell embraces his moment, finally breaks through to conference finals\" class=\"showcase-link-image\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"showcase-link-text-content\">\n<div class=\"showcase-link-title\">\n                  Donovan Mitchell embraces his moment, finally breaks through to conference finals\n              <\/div>\n<div class=\"showcase-link-excerpt\">\n                  Mitchell has been Cavs&#8217; steadying force, in good times and bad. His 26 points in Game 7 lifted them to the &#8220;next step&#8221; they needed to climb.\n              <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>        <\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<h2>Head-to-head matchups this season<\/h2>\n<p><strong>New York won 2-1.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>These sides started their seasons together on Oct. 22. The Cavs hit an impressive 19 treys in that game, but their hosts dominated on the offensive glass and at the foul line. The Knicks also handled home business in a 126-124 Christmas Day banger \u2014 they erased a 17-point fourth-quarter Cavs lead thanks to an inspired bench run.<\/p>\n<p>The Cavaliers prevailed in Cleveland on Feb. 24. It was their only matchup after the Harden trade. The newly acquired guard dropped 20 points on 8-of-18 from the floor (zero free throws!), with four assists to three turnovers. Cleveland\u2019s defense had 16 takeaways and held New York to 27 percent from long distance.<\/p>\n<p>Brunson was an overall minus-10.3 against this opponent, and shot at warped 33.9\/35.7 percent splits. But Bridges averaged a thorough four stocks (2.7 steals + 1.3 blocks) across those three matchups. On the other end, Mitchell scored more than 29 points per game on 42.6\/30.8 percent marks.<\/p>\n<div id=\"inline-graphic\">\n<p>        a.showcase-link-container {<br \/>\n  display: flex;<br \/>\n  gap: 20px;<br \/>\n  flex-direction: column;<br \/>\n  align-items: center;<br \/>\n  padding: 20px 0px;<br \/>\n  border-top: 1px solid rgba(150, 150, 147, 0.4);<br \/>\n  border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(150, 150, 147, 0.4);<br \/>\n  text-decoration: none;<br \/>\n  color: #121212;<br \/>\n  cursor: pointer;<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link {<br \/>\n    font-family: nyt-franklin;<br \/>\n    font-size: 14px;<br \/>\n    font-style: normal;<br \/>\n    font-weight: 700;<br \/>\n    line-height: 13.8px;<br \/>\n    letter-spacing: 1.1px;<br \/>\n    text-transform: uppercase;<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link-image {<br \/>\n    border-radius: 8px;<br \/>\n    object-fit: cover;<br \/>\n    width: 200px;<br \/>\n    height: 150px;<br \/>\n    margin: 0px;<br \/>\n    @media (max-width: 600px) {<br \/>\n      width: 120px;<br \/>\n      height: 120px;<br \/>\n    }<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link-inner-content {<br \/>\n    display: flex;<br \/>\n    flex-direction: row;<br \/>\n    gap: 16px;<br \/>\n    width: 100%;<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link-text-content {<br \/>\n    display: flex;<br \/>\n    flex-direction: column;<br \/>\n    gap: 20px;<br \/>\n    justify-content: center;<br \/>\n    @media (max-width: 600px) {<br \/>\n      gap: 8px;<br \/>\n    }<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link-title {<br \/>\n    font-family: nyt-cheltenham;<br \/>\n    font-size: 24px;<br \/>\n    font-style: normal;<br \/>\n    font-weight: 500;<br \/>\n    line-height: 120%; \/* 24px *\/<br \/>\n    letter-spacing: 0.01px;<br \/>\n    text-overflow: ellipsis;<br \/>\n    overflow: hidden;<br \/>\n    display: -webkit-box;<br \/>\n    -webkit-box-orient: vertical;<br \/>\n    -webkit-line-clamp: 3;<br \/>\n    @media (max-width: 600px) {<br \/>\n      font-size: 16px;<br \/>\n    }<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link-excerpt {<br \/>\n    font-family: nyt-imperial;<br \/>\n    font-size: 16px;<br \/>\n    font-style: normal;<br \/>\n    font-weight: 400;<br \/>\n    line-height: 139%; \/* 19.46px *\/<br \/>\n    color: #323232;<br \/>\n    text-overflow: ellipsis;<br \/>\n    overflow: hidden;<br \/>\n    display: -webkit-box;<br \/>\n    -webkit-box-orient: vertical;<br \/>\n    -webkit-line-clamp: 4;<br \/>\n    @media (max-width: 600px) {<br \/>\n      font-size: 12px;<br \/>\n      line-height: 121%;<br \/>\n    }<br \/>\n  }<br \/>\n}<\/p>\n<p>.showcase-link-inputs {<br \/>\n  .showcase-link-input {<br \/>\n    width: 100%;<br \/>\n    font-size: 1rem;<br \/>\n    background-color: white;<br \/>\n    margin-bottom: 12px;<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link-indent {<br \/>\n    margin-left: 25px;<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  option {<br \/>\n    width: 100%;<br \/>\n  }<br \/>\n}<\/p>\n<p>@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {<br \/>\n  .native-mobile a.showcase-link-container {<br \/>\n    background-color: #121212;<br \/>\n    color: #f0f0ee;<br \/>\n    .showcase-link-excerpt {<br \/>\n      color: #c4c4c0;<br \/>\n    }<br \/>\n  }<br \/>\n}<\/p>\n<p>            \/\/ Remove all onclicks on imgs for apps to prevent image zoom on click<br \/>\n            document.querySelectorAll(&#8216;.showcase-link-image&#8217;).forEach((img) =&gt; img.removeAttribute(&#8216;onclick&#8217;));<\/p>\n<p>        <a id=\"showcase-link-7282105\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7282105\/2026\/05\/17\/knicks-cavs-2026-nba-eastern-conference-finals-preview\/\" class=\"showcase-link-container in-content-module-link testbed-shortcode\" data-shortcode-id=\"101\" data-shortcode-string=\"showcase-link\" data-content-id=\"7282105\" data-content-post-type=\"article\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"showcase-link\">More on this series<\/div>\n<div class=\"showcase-link-inner-content\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2026\/05\/15113736\/GettyImages-2252794647-1024x683.jpg?width=400&amp;quality=70\" alt=\"James Harden, Donovan Mitchell versus the red-hot Knicks: Who will win, and why?\" class=\"showcase-link-image\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"showcase-link-text-content\">\n<div class=\"showcase-link-title\">\n                  James Harden, Donovan Mitchell versus the red-hot Knicks: Who will win, and why?\n              <\/div>\n<div class=\"showcase-link-excerpt\">\n                  It was a bumpier path to the East finals than anticipated for both teams, but the Knicks and the Cavs are exactly where they expected to be.\n              <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>        <\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<h2>Knicks vs. Cavaliers playoff history<\/h2>\n<p><b>New York leads 4-0.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>All four meetings were first-round affairs. The Knicks notched a two-win sweep in 1978, lifted by Bob McAdoo\u2019s monster 34 points per game. The 1990s Knicks took a pair of series in consecutive years \u2014 Patrick Ewing led the scoring for a 3-1 knockout in 1995, while John Starks paced a 3-0 sweep in 1996.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-container\">\n<div class=\"ad-wrapper article-treatment\">\n<div class=\"ad-slug-container\">\n<p class=\"ad-slug\">Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mid4\" data-position=\"mid4\" class=\"ad place-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Most recently, New York pulled off a slight 5-over-4 upset in five games to open the 2023 playoffs. Brunson, Hart, McBride and Mitchell Robinson were all on that team. Brunson and Hart <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=hiripThqqsc\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">came up clutch in Game 1<\/a>, the series\u2019 closest contest.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><i>Streaming links in this article are provided by partners of <\/i>The Athletic<i>. Restrictions may apply. <\/i>The Athletic<i> maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process, and do not review stories before publication.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a rare and gripping twist, the East\u2019s top two seeds have been knocked out before the conference finals. Enter the New York Knicks, who are blurring past their recent opponents with ruthless cool. And enter the Cleveland Cavaliers, who keep valiantly warding off elimination from the cliff\u2019s edge. Advertisement This seminal matchup pairs Jalen [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,241],"class_list":["post-1942768","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nytimes-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1942768","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1942768"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1942768\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1942768"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1942768"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1942768"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}