That Knicks vs Cavs series is hard to call.
G: D Garland vs J Brunson
G: D Mitchell vs Q Grimes
F: Okoro vs RJ Barrett
F: Mobley vs Randle
C: J Allen vs M Robinson
That is an interesting set of matchups.
I am most excited about the Randle vs Mobley matchup to see how that plays out. Mobley with his size and length vs Randle with his bulk and ball-handling. Brunson and Garland is a great matchup too. Neither guy can defend the other. Garland is too quick for Brunson to stay in front of and Brunson is too physical & savvy for the small Garland to stop from getting to his spots.
Donovan Mitchell has a huge advantage at SG. RJ is kinda lackluster at SF. Small advantage RJ. M Robinson and J Allen is a wash. Both are similar players. J Allen is a bit better at it but does not create matchup advantage here.
That Mobley vs Randle matchup could decide the series. I wouldn't be surprised to see Randle outplay Mobley especially when Randle forces the switch to get a smaller guard defender on him. Randle can create those mismatches easier and better than Mobley can. Yeah, Randle over Mobley.
G: Rubio vs Quickley
G: LeVert vs Josh Hart
F: Danny Green vs Fournier
F: Dean Wade vs Obi Toppin
C: R Lopez vs Hartenstein
Quickley has the advantage over Rubio. I reckon Hartenstein over Robin Lopez as well. Josh Hart has played so well that he should be able to nullify LeVert. Fournier over Danny Green. Not sure about Wade vs Toppin. NY look to have a sizeable advantage off the bench. Not good for Cleveland.
So does this series comes down to CLE’s advantage with D Mitchell in the starting lineup (or does Randle negate that?) vs NY’s advantage at multiple positions with their bench?
Looks to me like CLE’s bench is going to be their downfall in the playoffs. Rubio and R Lopez haven’t been able to deliver. K Love was a no-show this season. This has severely weakened their bench and their chances of a long playoff run.
