New York's arc is heading the other way. The Knicks opened 0-3, which looked odd for a team that swept Cleveland in last season's Eastern Conference finals. Mike Brown said the slow start was "the time to get knocked in the head," and they've played like it since. Tuesday they beat a Herro-less Milwaukee 117-85, winning the 2nd quarter 32-13 to go up 24 at the half. They gave back most of a 38-point Bucks 3rd quarter before closing it out.
That Milwaukee game matters for scheduling reasons too. The Knicks played at the Garden Tuesday and play there again Wednesday at 7:00 PM ET, so this is the 2nd night of a back-to-back. Cleveland last played Monday in Charlotte, so it gets a day off before this one. It isn't a huge edge, but it's the first thing on the calendar going Cleveland's way in a while.
Both injury reports matter tonight. Sam Merrill (elbow) is out for a 3rd straight game, which costs the Cavs a shooter, and Nae'Qwan Tomlin (back) is out too. Jaylon Tyson has missed 6 straight with a sprained right ankle and is now listed day-to-day, so his status is still open at tipoff. New York has its own hole: Josh Hart is out with an ankle injury. That takes away the Knicks' best rebounding guard and a lot of their energy on the 2nd night of a back-to-back, against a Cleveland team that couldn't win the glass in Charlotte.
So the question is simple. Is Cleveland's issue a talent problem or a fit problem? The Harden numbers say fit, and the effort in Charlotte says something worse. If Mitchell gets help and Mobley protects the paint against Towns, the Cavs are good enough to steal one in New York, especially with Hart sitting. If not, the Knicks are coming off a 32-point home win and won't need much more than Brunson and Towns doing what they did a few days ago.
