The Cleveland Cavaliers open the Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Knicks on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.
Cleveland enter as underdogs, partly because New York have home-court advantage and arrive with more rest after sweeping the Philadelphia 76ers.
Still, that may not scare the Cavaliers. They were not favourites against the top-seeded Detroit Pistons either, but still advanced in seven games.
Cleveland Cavaliers reach rare post-LeBron Eastern Conference Finals against the NY Knicks
Accoridng to Courtside Buzza, this Tuesday marks Cleveland’s first Eastern Conference Finals appearance without LeBron James on the roster since 1992, even with ‘King James’ having left the Cavs eight years ago.
The last team to do it was the 1992 squad, led by Brad Daugherty, Mark Price and Larry Nance, which lost to Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls in the conference finals.
This version is built around Donovan Mitchell and a group that has already handled pressure, as they showed in Game 7 against Detroit, which they won 125-94 on the road.
Mitchell had 26 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in that win, while Jarrett Allen, Sam Merrill and Evan Mobley also scored at least 20.
That balance could give the Cavaliers a real platform, even if the matchup with New York is expected to be difficult.
For Cleveland, this series is about more than reaching the NBA Finals. It is also a chance to create a defining postseason chapter without LeBron.
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