The Cleveland Cavaliers are set to face the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs, and the NBA has released the full schedule for the series that starts on Friday, April 15.
Cleveland has homecourt advantage by virtue of finishing with the higher seed. The Cavs secured the fourth seed with a 51-31 record during the 2022-23 regular season, while the Knicks ended up as the fifth seeds with a 47-35 win-loss tally.
With that said, the Cavs will be playing four times at home if the series extends to seven games compared to the Knicks’ three. Here’s the full schedule for the match-up, per NBA:
Game 1: Knicks @ Cavs – April 15
Game 2: Knicks @ Cavs – April 18
Game 3: Cavs @ Knicks – April 21
Game 4: Cavs @ Knicks – April 23
Game 5: Knicks @ Cavs – April 26 (If necessary)
Game 6: Cavs @ Knicks – April 28 (If necessary)
Game 7: Knicks @ Cavs – April 30 (If necessary)
The Cavs vs. Knicks game is undoubtedly one of the more interesting match-ups in the first round. While Cleveland owns the better record, New York has actually beaten them three times out of their four games during the regular season.
Not to mention that the battles between Donovan Mitchell and Jalen Brunson have always been fun to watch. In their last meeting, the two combined for a total of 90 points. Brunson dropped 48 and Mitchell finished with 42 in a 130-116 win for New York.
The Wine and Gold’s inexperience in the playoffs might be their biggest flaw, though it’s worth noting that Mitchell is a postseason veteran. Cleveland also plenty of talents on its side, with the likes of Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley all motivated to bring back playoff basketball to the city.