The most significant moves made within the Eastern Conference during the offseason were Donovan Mitchell’s acquisition by the Cleveland Cavaliers and Jalen Brunson’s acquisition by the New York Knicks last summer.
When the Cavaliers play the Knicks in the first game of a best-of-seven Eastern Conference first-round playoff series on Saturday night, it will be clear which deal was the best.
After last season, there was speculation in New York that the Knicks were attempting to pair Mitchell, a native of nearby Westchester County who was being considered for a trade by the Utah Jazz, with Brunson, who was about to become a free agent after playing four seasons for the Dallas Mavericks.
The union did not form, but Mitchell and Brunson turned out to be the missing pieces for two teams that had been struggling for a long time.
With a career-high 28.3 points per game, Mitchell, who was acquired from the Utah Jazz on Sept. 3, led the Cavaliers to a 51-31 record, fourth-place finish in the East, and their first playoff berth since LeBron James’ final season in 2017-18.
The Cavaliers’ playoff berth is their first since the 1997-98 season without James, and their 51 victories are the most by a Cleveland team without James since the club finished 54-28 in 1992-93.
Brunson started all 68 games this season and averaged a career-high 24.0 points and 6.2 assists while helping the Knicks, with whom he signed as a free agent on July 12, to a 47-35 record and fifth-place finish in the East. Brunson started just 127 of the 277 games he played for the Mavericks.
New York has made it to the playoffs twice in three years. Prior to 2020-21, the team had missed the playoffs seven times in a row. With 47 victories, it has won more games than it has since going 54-28 in 2012-13.
While Mitchell and Brunson are the most prominent players on the court, Isaac Okoro and Julius Randle’s health may decide the series.
Randle had a strong season for the Knicks, averaging 25.1 points and 10.0 rebounds, before suffering a left ankle sprain forced him to miss the final five games. While ESPN reported that Randle was “targeting” a Game 1 return and will test his ankle at game time, the team officially listed Randle as questionable for Saturday.
After Okoro was added to the Cavaliers’ starting lineup on January 4, they were 24-14, but he missed the following six games with a sore left knee. He has been a restricted member by and by this week.
This season, the Knicks defeated the Cavaliers three times, winning twice in New York on December 4 (92-81) and January 24 (105-103). Cleveland procured a 121-108 win in Ohio on Oct. 30 preceding visiting New York recorded a 130-116 triumph on Blemish. 31.
The teams have met four times in the postseason. The Knicks cleared a best-of-three first-round series from the Cavaliers in 1978 preceding procuring series wins in best-of-five first-round matchups in 1995 and 1996.
