The red-hot race between the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks

The red-hot race between the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks

Hey everyone Evan damal here co-host of lockon Cass before I lead you into Friday’s show just wanted to let you know that I am going solo with locked on Nick’s co-host Gavin Shaw to check in and take the temperature of the Cleveland Cavaliers the New York Knicks and their likely Collision Course

Leading up to the Eastern Conference playoffs before we get into this show though I just want to let you know that today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel make every moment more right now with FanDuel news customers get $150 in bonus Bets with any winning $5 bet

That’s 150 bucks if your bet wins just visit fanduel.com lockon to get started are locked on Cavs your daily Cleveland Cavaliers podcast all right guys as promised it is a locked on Nicks locked on Cavs crossover I’m Gavin Shaw alongside Evan damarell over with locked on Cavs podcast Evan

Really appreciate you taking the time to join me um we haven’t gotten to see a lot of each other this year after after a hardfought playoff series Nixon Cavs played one back toback early in the year Cleveland if I’m remembering correctly had Doan Mitchell was missing pretty

Much everyone else for those games the Knicks are obviously a drastically different team since those matchups so I thought it was a good time for a check-in and I wanted to start off um uh given that these teams were the two hottest in the NBA um throughout the

Month of January into February for you guys um what what’s been the key to the Cavs success and uh we can I I I guess I guess that’s you know I’m gonna I’m ask that question three two one um given that these have been two of the

Hottest teams in the NBA since January what what has Cleveland kind of figured out over this extended stretch so it is interesting I think they have figured out that clearly I mean this is kind of the not Donovan Mitchell is their best player overall um they did get back B is in Cleveland

Um Evan Moy and Darius Garland who were both out due to respective surgeries Moy had knee surgery Garland had surgery on a fractured jaw they did come back a little bit into the new year but like like you said the Cavs were one of the hottest teams in basketball heading into

The All-Star break they lost they saw like an8 n game winning streak come to a close at the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers at home then they bounce back against the Chicago Bulls and it was not like a you know a terrible performance so far post All-Star break it’ss a

Little up and down but I think that’s the case for most teams coming out of the All-Star break but more than that the key for success to them has just been like one Donovan Mitchell just really showing that he does have the Bonafide chops as an all NBA type player

Um at least on a local level and him him as in Mitchell included both think like he should be in the MVP conversation just from how well he’s been playing and also just like the fact that the cabs do have some strength in numbers uh they

Did add Max Tru and George Nang over the summer but you see guys like Sam Merill Craig Porter Jr even Tristan Thompson before he was busted for peeds step up during this hot streak um which is a weird thing to say just Tristan Thompson turning back the clock he found out what

He got busted for and then it all makes sense why he turned back the clock but um regardless it’s been a collective effort I think it’s been a little bumpy just getting Garland and Moy back into the swing of things but it’s an interesting thought just December 15th you thought the CF season

Could have come to a to an end there they lost two frustrating games in a row to Boston um they lose Garland and Moy to injury for a month to two months at most um there’s a lot of questions about this team like what is the future with

Donovan Mitchell but you know you also do sometimes don’t see the forest for the trees and forget that they did have Jared Allen and Donovan Mitch on this roster but it’s been of a collective effort too like it’s not just like the Donovan Mitchell show even though he’s

At the center of everything that and that’s been kind of fun like there’s kns like Isaac aoro is the best player on the floor or it’s Sam Merill who’s just going unconscious from the perimeter or it’s Dean Wade or George Nang like everybody has stood up and kind of just

Stepped up in a collective way for the Cavs and that that’s kind of been the recipe for success and bounc to get back to you what is made I I know like the OG an anobi trade was kind of a catalyst for New York but in your opinion like on top

Of maybe just the obvious for Cleveland fans um what has been such a catalyst for New York just becoming such a hot team lately yeah I I I think you even if it is obvious you undeniably have to start with anobi the other day I was

Looking up the Knicks like top twom man lineups like over the course of the year and out of their top eight all eight of them had OG anovi in it so it’s been pretty clear that he has been a game changer for the Nicks a team that like

Win faced with like Elite size and length just just would get decimated this year and would look small in in a way that was just extraordinarily demoralizing wasn’t like there wasn’t a clear-cut solution wasn’t play harder shoot better commit less turnovers like all right like we’re we’re just

Physically outmatched in a lot of these games and anobi and in one Fell Swoop like changed that and I think just moving off of RJ Barrett who was like a pretty high volume field goal attempt guy and and was not super efficient like the ball just started moving much better

Obviously they improved defensively like like in Wake of Mitchell Robinson’s injury they were Far and Away the worst defense in the NBA they trade for OG all of a sudden they’re Far and Away the best defense in the NBA another key part of that was Isaiah hartenstein stepping

Up and his like um at this point somewhat concerning lingering um Achilles injury um has has definitely put a dent in that as the Knicks like after that long winning stretch where they went something like 15- two over 17 games like they lost four four in a row

Heading to the all-star break pulled one out against the Sixers um the other night as we’re recording this on uh Saturday afternoon but it just felt like I mean very similar to Cleveland like every move the Nicks made worked out like hartenstein has been like I would say just so much

Better than you than you could expect like impact metrics have him as like a top eight Center in basketball um Dante Devan chenzo has been just ridiculous like in the five games leading up to the all-star break he averaged right around 27 points per game shooting 40% from

Three on high volume and that that wasn’t something when the Knick signed him for what like $14 million a year they could have reasonably thought was going to happen uh precious auua who who felt like a throw in in the anobi trade and someone that when the Knicks are

Fully healthy maybe someone still when the Knicks are fully healthy wasn’t really good to play he’s ended up being one of the best offensive rebounders in basketball for this stretch great pick and roll combination with Jaylen Brunson and they’ve compensated um for for Julius Randall being out now by putting

A little bit more shooting on the floor and opening up up for Jaylen Brunson to run spread pick and roll and in my mind Evan because I can’t say I’ve watched a ton of the Cavs this year that’s probably part of Cleveland’s success like with Evan Moon being able to play

Four out and not having that same dilemma they had against the Knicks where for long stretches they they were starting three non-shooters or with like a semi- shooter and Isaac aoro like on his best days um and I I’m kind of curious like if you’re the Cavs now like

You get back your two stars and and it’s great you’re fully healthy and I’m sure your fans are groaning right now as you guys are probably talked about this uh ad nauseum but I’m I’m curious about it what what is the what is the balance there between having these stars back

But also not losing what made this team like again arguably the best in basketball for a month and a half so I think you’re seeing a little bit of the growing pains right now with these guys being back granted Donovan Mitchell’s last or missed the last two games post

All Star break with a lingering illness from what I’ve gathered as we’ve recording this he is expected to play against the Washington Wizards on Sunday but it’s also the Wizards you may not need Mitchell to beat them but um to your point I I think bringing these guys

Back into the fold was a fair question it was my question heading into this cuz like you don’t want to mess up a good thing and also like the Cavs more or less changed their entire offensive identity and dichotomy after um Garland and Moy went down like they became a lot

More three-point heavy they became like a lot of like a spray and PR team he said a lot of spread pick and rolling I think that’s just something you copy from Mitchell’s time with the Jazz like they found a ton of success doing that so let’s just turn that up to the like

Eenth degree and just really make that identity and that it really helps because like it gives Jared Allen spacing an ability to operate down low it also you know lets guys like Carris Levert or Donovan Mitchell attack the basket not just be Reliant attacking from the perimeter I think Isaac aoro

Finding his confidence in his shot helps too but to answer your question and like it’s something we talk about a bit it’s still a work in progress surprisingly Evan Mobley kind of clicked right away um he came out very very aggressive post injury I think he just kind of showed in

The first game back post the injury and he said like he was surprised like how different it is conditioning wise being on the floor compared to like what the Cavs were doing to keep him in shape while he was rehabbing his knee and he’s

Like yeah I have to wait for my wind to get back underneath me but we’re starting to see a little bit of a very different Evan Moy post injury too like he is actually shooting the three ball a lot more um post Allstar break not so

Much right now but like he is reading reacting to the defense is he’s kind of stepping up as the second or third option sometimes on the floor depending on who you’re sharing the floor with and you’re seeing like a lot of that confidence just kind of emerge from

There um and that’s been really just surprising after he kind of had a pretty flat start to his third season when everybody thought he was going to kind of have like a big you know proverbial leap but um Garland more so it’s been a bit of a work in progress I think it’s

Just tougher because that was always going to be the issue when you pair Garland and Mitchell in a back court together is like they both are most successful with the ball in their hands and you’re trying to figure out ways to balance that where they both have

Opportunities to run the offense is like the deao ball handler with the other one playing off ball I think Mitchell’s more comfortable doing that just from you know sharing the floor with Mike connley in Utah or also just doing it in um Cleveland with Darius Garland but

Garland is showing clear signs of rust uh we can talk more about his recovery in the upcoming segment but it was much different than Mo like he is a little bit behind the eightball a little bit and at this point the season you have to

Be a little patient with it but he is learning how to play off ball kind of being the guy who runs off ball plays with screens plays with motion kind of uses cuts and things like that just to kind of like Get wide open shots on the

Perimeter or uses his playmaking or you know just the fact that he’s comfortable taking contact and drawing fouls and things like that to kind of get within the flow but like it’s been of a bumpy progression he’s admitted like he doesn’t fully feel comfortable quite yet

In this new system the Cavs are trying to employ so it’s a bit of a work in progress and I think it’ll figure itself out I mean hopefully it does before the postseason begins but you know that’s just something worth keeping an eye it’s it’s just interesting though because

Like moyy pretty easy transition uh actually has more so been surprising since coming back from injury just because he’s kind of a guy who’s been a chameleon all of his NBA career but Garland it’s still a little bit of a work in progress and they still have

About 20 plus games to kind of get him acclimated again before we kind of get rolling towards the postseason just the issue with that is you do have teams like New York Milwaukee I think Philadelphia depending on what happens with them be as well breathing down your

Neck for the two seed that does make things a little tight if you are you are trying to be mindful of like homec Court advantages and certain matchups uh come playoff time yeah and I I I think um I mean to me that’s going to define Cleveland season more than anything else

Like like can you maximize Garland and Mitchell simultaneously and and like as much as it was like the lack of shooting for the Cavs and like and the Knicks Advantage like in terms of physicality on the glass like to me the biggest reason Cleveland couldn’t win that series was because like Garland and

Mitchell like it was it was it was a your turn my turn thing and like somewhat maybe maybe a better version of it but somewhat similar to what you see with Trey young and dejonte Murray in Atlanta where like both guys are just ultimately better like the 10 minutes a

Game they get to run the offense themselves and and to me like I like it obviously Garland is a better player than whoever you’re going to like whether it’s Tru or like whoever you have playing the two or or the one when when Mitchell is is out there alone but

Like does it add up to as much as the sum of its parts um and and I guess I guess that kind of takes us into like a question like we could I I could talk about it from a Nick’s perspective first but like going back to that playoff

Series like this Cleveland team is is clearly better like I don’t think there’s any doubt about that and just the ability to to finish like I I guess I don’t know what their closing lineup is going to be I I would assume maybe max dreu out there but to finish with a

Guy who can defend and can shoot but also like unlike Carris Levert like doesn’t need the ball in their hands like it feels like Cleveland is getting closer to having Clarity like in terms of how they’re going to finish games how they’re going to want to play and maybe

The injuries for better or worse through a bit of a wrench in that but like how far along do you think they are in like kind of correcting some of the issues in terms of why they ultimately lost in the first round last year today’s episode of Locked on Cavs

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Players and teams with quick bets live same gay parlays exclusive props and more just visit fanduel.com lockon and shoot your shot FanDuel the official Sportsbook partner of the NBA and the official sports book of the locked on podcast Network I think Clarity is a great way

To put it um when you’re looking back to last postseason between the Knicks and the Cavs it was clear that new New York just had the legs the Cavs didn’t the Cavs maybe had five five and a half six depending on Isaac a coro’s offensive production functional players in that

Series against New York and even then like Evan Moy and Jared Allen were getting bullied Down Low by Mitchell Robinson and then Isaiah hartenstein Josh Hart to is just you know killing them with the offensive boards and crashing the glass and then Jaylen Brunson just kind of doing Jaylen

Brunson things and then Tom Theo having the right type of game plan to kind of dial up the pressure on Mitchell and D Darius Garland and Mo and Jared Allen who were having their first playoff series together to beat them and that was the right recipe for success

But looking back at that compared to now the Cavs have added some depth and when you talk about the closing lineups I think the clarity will emerge now that this team is at least quote unquote fully healthy taome is out for God knows how long after having ankle surgery but

He hasn’t played since the home opener back in October for the Kev so he’s not really in the you know rotation and mix but technically they’re not fully healthy if you want to get technical about it but either way um it’s going to emerge but I think JB Baker staff has

Found especially during the stretch when they didn’t have Moy and Garland is one he showed his chops quite a bit like I think he knows like the right pressure points what guys have it what guys don’t he is a firm believer in the hotand belief or like if a guy is giving you

Something that you need like a Sam Merill who is a guy who was a udfa was a part of the champion ship Buck was then traded to Sacramento tore his ankle apart was floated around in the g- league and worked his way back up the ranks and then was playing spot

Minutes didto for Craig Porter Jr like he was playing because Mitchell was hurt and Garland was at 100% And then next thing you know he’s making winning plays against Joel and be overtime so I think that the fact that they lost two of their top players forced them to look at

Others and now kind of gives them a good problem to have where you can ride with some of the hotter hands so ideally you’re closing with both of Garland and Mitchell one or both of Moy and Allen and then you filter in Caris LeVert who

I think can be helpful uh just as an extra ball handler and just kind of gives you an extra depth and dimension Isaac aoro if you want to kind of just throw him at an imposing team’s breast perimeter player like there’s I mean tangible data and then you can just

Watch like with the eye test like he really frustrated Damen Lillard Lillard in all four games the Bucs play the Cavs in like lard like didn’t wanted wanted nothing to do with Isaac aoro every time they’re on the floor but bigger staff just matched Lillard minute for minute

With him and then you have him like streu can finish it just because like he is a shooter and also he has surprised a lot of Cavs f with his ball handling ability even Sam Merrill or a guy like um like ideally George Nang isn’t the dude you want just because of defense

Like Dean wake step up because like he doesn’t give you the shooting n maybe does but can give you that multi-positional defense the Cavs have their pecking order set when it comes to their stars but like they have guys that can rotate in and bigger staff has done

Has just really coached his tail off all season long especially like you know with the wake of the injuries and the fact they’re so up and down at the start of the Season that they are um kind of just in a nice spot where like versus last postseason when the Cavs collided

With the Knicks they maybe have more than just five five and a half six viable guys they could throw out in a series and sure the game gets slower the pressure gets tighter um you know it’s do R die things like that you go with eight-man rotations and at least for the

Stretch of the season now that this team is again quote unquote healthy like you keep an eye on like okay who are the heavy minute Getters like in terms of like 1 through eight like those are probably going to be the dudes who are getting most of the minutes come playoff

Time and also you can start to formulate like what the closing lineups are but for now um Clarity will start to emerge like I said that’s a really good way to put it like Clarity will emerge down the stretch as we get an idea of who’s going

To be playing come playoff time more often than not who does bicker staff kind of have the firm Trust of in high pressure situations and just kind of keep rocking and rolling from there and from the Nick side of things like they gave up RJ barar in the anobi we trade

Um they are a lot of different horses are not in this race anymore like I don’t know if Mitchell Robinson will be back on playoff time but like we talked about this before the show even like we can talk about how this team these two teams feel like they’re on a collision

Course again for the playoffs soon but at least in your eyes like how do the Knicks close games more often than not that is it just kind of like the hot hand or is there like a set like firm order because there’s a a lot of those

Villanova guys on that team and then you know oji and anobi as well so like how how do how does Tom fibo pick and choose like who closes certain um games for New York yeah I think I mean it’s it’s still an open question just because we’re we

Haven’t seen the full version of this team and and might not get to see them until literally the last five six maybe 10 games of the regular season like OG and anobi will ideally be back um in early March like sometime in the first half of March uh Julius Randall it’s

It’s sort of a bigger question like all signs point to the fact that rehab is is going quite well for him but it’s just it’s an injury where you can you can never rule out a reinjury and and like even just depending on how he continues

To progress like you can’t rule out the fact that like the second he takes contact it’ll become like abundantly clear that he’s going to need surgery on and be out for the year so obviously like he’s he’s Far and Away the Nick’s second most important well I don’t want

To say that with oan and noi but I I would still I would argue he probably the Nick’s second most important player um certainly their second most important guy on offense and I I don’t know if the Knicks can even win a series Without much less win two or three as some fans

Are hoping so that’s obviously a very big wrenching thing into your point Mitchell Robinson um who I think probably will be back before the end of the regular season but it’s also not a sure thing um that being said if everyone’s healthy I think in in my mind

It’s pretty clear that on on most nights they should be closing with um just just what’s going to be the regular starting lineup of Jaylen Brunson Dante Devan chenzo OG anobi Julius Randall and I’m GNA say Isaiah hardenstein almost regardless of how healthy Mitch Robin love to hear it as a hartenstein truther

During his time in Cleveland the fact that he’s thriving in New York is just music to my ears I I love me some heart and dimes out there just see seeing his assist numbers and things like that like he doing all his heart and dime things

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For a first deposit match up to $100 again that is prix.com lockon NBA and use code locked on NBA for the first deposit match up to $100 I I I don’t know if like it would be cool if someone did a story on this someday but like halfway through last

Year like he was disappointing enough that there was talk like all could we just maybe trade him back to the Clippers and like something like flipped like it was like when like the the guy in in the movie Dodgeball just like loses his mind for like four minutes at

A time but it’s like hartenstein just turned on that rage mode like permanently and he has just been just a monster since then like again one of the more impactful Rim protectors like borderline and basketball at this point like an exceptional offensive rebounder and just gives the Knicks a little bit

More spacing on that side of the floor there’s going to be some room for Josh hardt to close some games that was ultimately to the Knicks detriment in the heat series he was he was much better against the Cavs but the relative like um not even like his inability to

Shoot a little bit of his inability to shoot but more so his unwillingness to shoot like just just made it impossible and the offense was dramatically better in that series when Quinton Grimes was on the floor even though he was shooting like 25% from three just because he was

A nominal threat so that’s kind of G to be the needle for Tom Fido to thread but it’s funny Cleveland is maybe the team most in the mix like along with the Clippers with the Knicks in this conversation but I’d argue the Knicks might be the deepest team in basketball

And it’s really going to be on Tom Fido much like it sounds like JB bicker staff has done when this team is fully healthy to just hit the right notes and the right games in the right series and if the Knicks and the Cavs do ultimately

End up meeting up like I wonder if that means more Mitchell Robinson like where he was like there’s a case to be made he was probably their best player like in that series and and and he certainly like created their identity in in in a

Way that is is rare for a guy who is nominally a role player um so Tom thibo has a lot to figure out the Knicks are go likely going to have to do it with very little time left in the season but all the pieces are there to have a lot

Of success and and I guess because of those injuries like I’m curious and and on Cleveland side of things like healthy but to your point still figuring it all out like what do you expect the success for them to be the rest of the regular she’s like are you pretty confident

They’re going to hold on to the two seed with the Bucks flailing and the Knicks at less than 100% because it feels like once the Knicks have anobi back I I think they can be a very very good team again and could maybe make a race at

That I think as of recording three games in back of Cleveland right now I believe so yeah but uh but like is there a chance like the Knicks or bucks can make a run or or do you think Cleveland just continues to play how they’ve been

Playing and kind of closes it out and locks it up well you know the fact that they are sliding Hond 2 game losing streak currently doesn’t help this argument a bit but my co-host Chris Manning and I talked about this quite a bit but I’m of The Stance and I kind of

Remain of the stance that the two seed is Cleveland to lose at this point they split the series with the Bucks two to two I think they there’s some convoluted mathematics where if they beat one of the or if they beat two of the Bulls Pistons or

Pacers like if they win two of those three matchups like they out win the division and that gives them the tiebreaker over Milwaukee in that sense but um I think it’s theirs to lose well obviously see like the Knicks and the Cavs do play each other uh not the week

Of when we Dro these episodes with the following week so that’ll be an interesting match up to kind of also like give us a little little bit of a litmus test of like where these two teams are at uh even if nether even if New York is in 100% healthwise or if

Cleveland is in 100% rotation wise they just like you know kind of ironing out some of the Kinks as they kind of figure things out but I think it’s going to be a dog fight no matter what I just think that is the nature of the Beast like Boston has separated themselves enough

Just to kind of sit alone at one and it’s going to be a bit of a nudging and jockeying between 2 three and four and again maybe we’ll see what Philadelphia does too if MP comes back or if um Tyreek smacks he continues to play out

Of his mind a little bit but um it’s going to be an interesting race but I’m of the mindset that it is clevens to lose because I just kind of have faith in the this team I’m not really as concerned as I was maybe after last postseason and sure

It’s the regular season it’s a different beast but they for reference they lose New Year’s Day to the Toronto R Toronto Raptors um they were still kind of up and down and kind of finding themselves a little bit they’re the 10 seed at that time uh we’re recording this towards the

End of February and they’ve climbed from 10: to 2 and they’ve been in the two spot for a couple weeks now so I I think it’s theirs to lose they could stumble a bit maybe fall back to three or four for a hot second then climb their way back

Up but it will be a bit of a dog like it’s not going to be an easy uh defensive two like it’s going to be a fight and I do agree like if when the Knicks get OG back like they could make a legitimate push and run at it just

Because if I remember off the top of my head I believe New York and Cleveland are either tied or very close to each other for their like remaining strength of schedule as if when we were recording this so it just kind of depends on like hey some nights just may not be New

York’s night or Cleveland’s night like that does have an effect in the grand scheme of Eastern Conference standings but it’s just going to be tight no matter what cuz I’m looking at it right now as we record this on Saturday afternoon on uh February 24th Cleveland

Is a game ahead of Milwaukee there two and a half ahead of New York like it’s tight no matter how you put it and yeah like we’ll see like but what are your thoughts like do you think New York is going to make a real run for it or do

You think they’re going to kind of it’s just going to be a lot of leap frogging between just Milwaukee Cleveland and New York down this stretch yeah I think I I it’s so tough to say just because it’s so ambiguous when when they’re going to

Get Rand like if you told me they get OG back March 5th Randall back somewhat close to 100% March 10th I I would say the Knicks have a pretty good shot especially when you look at the Nick’s like last like 12 or so games they get the Pistons the Raptors the Spurs the

Nets the Bulls three different times a Boston team that may already be resting guys the Nets a second time like like it’s not like the Knicks have have some tough like the upcoming stretch for the Knicks is Pretty Tough the next five games which includes the Cavs and then

Like back-to-back games against the Sixers and then a West Coast Swing like but if the Knicks like get to like they have a Thursday March 21st game at Denver if after game they have Randall and anobi and they’re within like two three games of Cleveland like obviously

If the Cavs win enough like it’ll just be a moot point but I I think the Knicks have a chance to finish on like a 12-2 run or something like that so they just have to stay within Striking Distance and I’m pretty confident they will like the way they look their first game

Coming out of All-Star break was great the single biggest X Factor in that is I would say I say a Haren Stein’s Health like he was um as far as we knew like he was going to be pretty close to 100% coming out of Allstar break they did say

They were going to manage his minutes played like seven minutes in the first half of that Sixers game only had one rebound and then didn’t make much of an impact in the second like if he’s not 100% like the Knicks are just a different team as they lose that

Rebounding and defense advantage and in I we we’ve kind of danced around like directly previewing a match up just because it seems so premature but to me like the one defining thing where like if Cleveland doesn’t have this figured out like even with more shooting even with Donovan Mitchell like potentially

Being the best player on the floor like it just won’t matter like are they more ready for the Knicks just from like a pure like strength and toughness and and defensive rebounding perspective is more than anything else like where that series just ended was once the Knicks

Realized like all right like we can we can be competitive for essentially every single offensive rebound and and and that was with like a not as good version of hartenstein granted if Mitchell Robinson is less than 100% that could change things but presuming it’s it’s a second round matchup and not a first

Like does Cleveland have have an answer to that at the end of the day so the offensive rebounding thing is interesting just because Cleveland didn’t do much to address that in the off season they really leaned on the fact that Jared Allen put in work over the summer uh got bigger stronger I

Think Evan Moy bulked up quite a bit comparatively to last season and he is showcased that he’s able to handle some of the physicality I think a lot of it is a collective thing though like if you ask the coaching staff or some of the players like guys will say like hey it’s

Also on me but you’re also see some seeing some of the samin from maybe a little bit of what New York was doing to Cleveland like Max shu is a guy who is getting a lot of Second Chance opportunities like he is kind of being a little bit annoying like not as talented

As Josh Hart is at doing it but like as annoying as Josh Hart was in that series of just grabbing the second chance opportunities and giving it to like Jaylen Brunson or somebody else to kind of set up in offense again but like streu is doing a lot of that for the

Cavs and I think Levert is taking advantage of I think Mitchell just using his pure and raw athleticism is doing it too but that could still be an issue but I think for the Cavs they might be a little comfortable with it because they have more Shooters on the perimeter and they

Have guys that are confident in their shots and I know Nicks fans saw me uh saying in J to a friend who was like talking about Jaylen brunson’s numbers in last year’s series but I do think that if Isaac aoro doesn’t sit for a month before the postseason because he hits that game

Leading shot against the Nets it’s like he’s flying high he’s really confident in all of his abilities and just like defensively is smothering um and then he comes back essentially just comes right back to basketball in the playoffs and like is completely a shell of himself like is playing well defensively but is

A non-factor offensively like he has that confidence I think he can give you a little bit of juice Off the Bench and also he can handle the responsibilities of Defending um a jayen Brunson which you know is no easy task but at least makes the life it makes life a lot

Easier for everybody else on the Cs too too but I would still say just cuz like you said they’ve played each other twice this season it was Halloween and November 1st um that’s so far ago at this point like it’s hard to really gauge on how a series would go just

Based off those two games I would call it chalk if they met in the first round or even in the second round and at this point to me it’s just who is the healthier team when they meet cuz like the Knicks have their own health issues that they’re working through right now I

Think the Cavs still are too when it comes to moy and Garland and you know knock on wood nothing happens but injuries do pop up no matter what and that’s always the case when it comes to the playoffs but between these two teams like they’re so evenly matched in

Certain ways and like the Cavs have more depth this time around that it could be a bit more of a competitive series it comes down to health and then obviously ultimately coaching and like yeah Tom thibo is much more experienced but he does have his limitations in wch I think

GV vicker staff is a little inexperienced but has a lot of warts when it comes to some of the stuff he does in the playoffs but we we’ll see how it goes I think I would just call it chalk if these two uh collect it or matched against each other and it just

Be like the healthiest team will win this series it could go four five six or seven like it’s just one of those matchups you know yeah and I I think I mean the biggest thing from a Nick’s perspective is is just trying to stay out of Boston side of the bracket and I

I I don’t think I think that’s what everyone’s trying to do avoid the Celtics as long as possible if you’re lucky the Bucks and the Celtics just beat the heck out of each other in the second round and then one of those teams is a lot more Haggard if you run into

Them in the Conference Finals yeah and I I would imagine like Cleveland I mean despite the fact that it sounds like they’ve done a pretty decent job against Milwaukee this year would would probably prefer the Knicks just to avoid playing Giannis for as long as you possibly can

And and I think the Knicks just coming off that first round Series last year um would certainly prefer the Cavs in the second round and and there there’s a world where we’re talking about one of these two teams in in the Conference Finals in in a couple months I will I I

I I promise to keep it brief on this and we’ll we’ll close out in two minutes but uh Donovan Mitchell watch have I feel so I feel I feel borderline predatory Evan anytime you come on and ask it’s like it’s like asking about someone’s girlfriend like hey you guys you guys

Still doing well like what’s like oh you had a fight oh cool um but Don Donovan Mitchell I don’t know where he ranks on like the Knicks Big Board of targets just because I mean similar to Garland and Mitchell like they are very real questions about like how him and Brunson

Would fit like I argued when they got OG an anobi like maybe that opens up the window to make a trade like that more feasible just because he gives you such a like high floor defensively between that and like whatever rim protector the Knicks have at the center position I’m

Still I wonder if that is Leon Rose in the Knicks front office’s ultimate goal that being said if Mitchell had interest like hard to turn down a player that is that good um how do you think like after like I mean especially after a stretch like where I think maybe more than any

Other like he got to put his stamp on Cleveland with Garland and Moy out like is there any more comfort with the idea that he would want to be in Cleveland long term so I’ll put it this way I think after the Knicks went and got OG

Um they emptied the tank a little bit more assetwise I think they have some internal decisions to make and also like you said if Leon Rose is Big Fish is Joel embiid if things go sideways in Philly understandable I think you would take the reigning MVP at least at this

Point over Donovan Mitchell and I love Donovan Mitchell in his game but internally if you’re the Cavs Kobe Alman the president of basketball operations has been pretty transparent the entire time like um Mitchell consulted the Cavs and helped them helped recruit Max Tru and George yangang to join them in

Cleveland like he has been an advocate of the moves they’re making he’s been heavily involved and all been said like hey he’s done more than that to show us so we want to keep him long term we have to prove to him that it’s worthwhile to

Play his prime here and sure he said like he is in Mitchell said he’s not going to entertain anything until this upcoming summer but if I’m Cleveland just based on how the market is panning out like sure he could say like I want

To go to New York and I I I know the miamis and the Lakers of the world will always be in the conversation whether it’s media driven or or Pat Riley manifesting something that may not be there but I think the Cavs have a better chance now than maybe they did either at

The end of last postseason or the start of this season just because of like you said him leaving his stamp on this team him being so involved throughout the process of it and also the fact of like the market just may not be there for what he’s looking for because Donovan

Made it clear like yeah he’ll do what’s best for him personally but he also wants to do even better for him professionally like the most human moment I’ve ever seen an NBA player have is when New York ended Cleveland season in five games he Donovan came to the podium spoke for 20

30 minutes and then said all right guys well I’ll see you next year and like kind of like let out like a heavy sigh you can tell he was just upset beside himself and then he was walking away and he went back to the podium and said he’s

Like I’m sick and tired of saying that he’s like I’m sick and tired of losing in the first and second round I want to go to the Conference Finals I want to play for greatness and I think you know that was a human moment but also like a

Very transparent like shout to the Cav for an office saying like yo let’s make some moves to get it done and I think the question of Center will be a thing for Cleveland too when it comes to moy and Allen but I think they could they

Have a better chance now of keeping him I don’t want to say like it’s a maximum long-term deal maybe it’s a shorter deal with an option so Mitchell can you know remain fluid in his options but you know just retest the market later and it gives the Cavs a little bit more

Breathing room but the Cavs have been making it very clear that Donovan Mitchell is the best player on this team and this is his team and they’re trying to do everything they can to keep him and they’ve done stuff like bringing his FR one of his best friends like George

Yangan they’re very active in trying to get Royce O’Neal before Phoenix stepped in which is another close friend of his from Utah so we’ll see what happens things can change like the seasons and it’s like a gust of wind like it can blow in any which direction but for now

Like as we record this even after a two game slide that the Cavs currently on like I feel good about the champ CH es of keeping Mitchell this summer it may not be on like a super long-term deal and maybe they drag this out till next year when

He becomes an unrestricted free agent he really negotiates for top money but we we’ll see how the conversations go this summer when he actually says he’ll entertain anything of an extension from the Cavs all right uh that’ll do it he’s Evan damell I’m Gavin Shaw this has been

Locked on Cavs and locked on Nicks uh we will talk to you very very soon hopefully hopefully Together For an upcoming flight match but until then uh have a good week and uh yeah we see you soon locked on next caps sweet thank You

On a new episode of Locked on Cavs (Friday, Feb. 29, 2024) Evan Dammarell (@AmNotEvan, Right Down Euclid) is joined by Locked On Knicks host Gavin Schall to discuss the mounting Eastern Conference battle between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the New York Knicks.

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