After a surprising blowout win in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinal round, the Cleveland Cavaliers travel to New York to take on the Knicks in Game 1. While the Cavaliers needed seven games to advance, the Knicks have been off for eight days following their sweep of the 76ers.
Cleveland survived Detroit, but have yet to give consistent performances over multiple games. There have been games where Donovan Mitchell is flirting with 40 points. There have been games won on a good James Harden performance. However, Mitchell, Harden, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen have not hit on all cylinders in the same game yet.
New York is in a great situation. Home court advantage, they are 8-2 in these playoffs and in their wins they have put up between 113 and 144 points in those games. The Knicks have played the best of any Eastern Conference team thus far in the playoffs.
Cleveland will need to be the aggressor in each of the games in this series if they hope to make it competitive. If the Knicks can keep doing what they’ve been doing and Cleveland does not find consistency, this could be a short series.
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Cavaliers vs. Knicks live updates, highlights from NBA playoffs Game 1
1st Quarter-3:46: Jalen Brunson makes a 1-foot shot.
1st Quarter-4:18: Mikail Bridges makes a driving layup.
1st Quarter-5:38: Josh Hart makes a running layup.
1st Quarter-6:01: Jalen Brunson makes a 16-foot pull up jumper.
1st Quarter-8:08: Donovan Mitchell makes a driving layup.
1st Quarter-8:22: Jalen Brunson makes a 9-foot floater.
1st Quarter-8:44: Donovan Mitchell makes a running layup.
1st Quarter-9:24: Donovan Mitchell makes a 25-foot three-point shot.
We like to call that a “SPIDA BITE”.@spidadmitchell | #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/exK4l6qIJt
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) May 20, 2026
1st Quarter-10:01: Mikail Bridges makes a 7-foot driving floater.
mikal gets the floater to go 👏 pic.twitter.com/xyZtC7e6SF
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) May 20, 2026
1st Quarter-11:10: James Harden makes a 6-foot driving floater.
UNO puts us on the board! @JHarden13 | #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/idppK2JnCZ
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) May 20, 2026
bring on the ECF 🙌 pic.twitter.com/w29lImifBh
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) May 18, 2026
We’ve got a Cavs champ calling the game tonight, folks. #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/sjeqG7QePj
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) May 19, 2026
back at @TheGarden 💙🧡 pic.twitter.com/RmRDQhHV8E
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) May 19, 2026
SPIDA. #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/DujS7HzfR8
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) May 19, 2026