Knicks’ Jalen Brunson, Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell square off in NBA East Finals
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Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks dribbles the ball up the court against the Philadelphia 76ers during the third quarter in Game 4 of the second round of the NBA play-offs.
PHOTO: AFP
NEW YORK – The fates of the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers – and especially guards Jalen Brunson and Donovan Mitchell – have been intertwined since the summer of 2022, when the Knicks signed Brunson and tried trading for Mitchell before he landed with the Cavaliers.
Now the careers of Brunson and Mitchell – and these eras for their teams – will be defined by whoever can lift his squad to a franchise-altering trip to the NBA Finals.
The Knicks and Cavaliers will open the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Finals on May 19 (May 20, Singapore time), when third-seeded New York host fourth-seeded Cleveland.
The Knicks have been off since May 10, when they continued their historic surge through the play-offs by beating the Philadelphia 76ers 144-114 to sweep their best-of-seven second-round series.
The Cavaliers will also arrive with plenty of momentum after completing their comeback from a 2-0 series deficit against the top-seeded Detroit Pistons with a 125-94 rout in Game 7 on May 17.
The resounding second-round wins place each team at the doorstep of a historic accomplishment.
The Knicks have not advanced to the NBA Finals since 1999 and have not won it since 1973. The Cavaliers are in the East Finals for the first time without LeBron James since 1992 and have never made the Finals without James on their roster.
Had the summer of 2022 gone a little differently, Brunson and Mitchell might be teaming up to try and get the Knicks to the promised land, but New York lost out to the Cavaliers in trade talks for Mitchell.
Brunson ranks 13th in the NBA with 26.3 points per game over the last four seasons, a span in which the Knicks have won six play-off series, including a five-game, first-round triumph over Cleveland in 2023.
This post-season run has been particularly impressive for the Knicks, who have won seven straight games by an average of 26.4 points per contest.
“That’s what we expect to do,” Knicks guard Miles McBride said of his team’s attacking strategy.
“Obviously this fan base has been wanting this, but we have to stay locked in.
“Getting to the Eastern Conference Finals isn’t the final goal.”
Mitchell ranks ninth in the NBA with 26.7 points per game over the last four seasons for the Cavaliers, who have won four play-off series in that stretch.
The path to the conference Finals has been a little rockier for the Cavaliers, who needed seven games to eliminate the Toronto Raptors in the first round. Cleveland then overcame a 2-0 series deficit to win the next three games against Detroit but lost in Game 6 before responding with the lopsided Game 7 win.
This is the first berth in the conference Finals for Mitchell, who never got beyond the second round in five trips to the play-offs with the Jazz.
“Even last year, when we lost to Indiana, we had our goals set on getting to the Finals – we’re just one step closer,” Mitchell said.
“It’s been almost a decade of running into the same issue.
“So for sure, I personally, and as a team, we can breathe a little bit.”
On May 18, big man Victor Wembanyama outduelled Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to lead the visiting San Antonio Spurs to a 122-115 double-overtime triumph over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the West Finals.
Wembanyama scored 41 points and pulled down 24 rebounds, while his rival was limited to 24 points. REUTERS, AFP
