On Sunday night, following a few twists and mostly only blowouts, the Cleveland Cavaliers got the last laugh on the Detroit Pistons by beating them in Game 7 behind 26 points from ace player Donovan Mitchell.
The Cavs now get to move on to the Eastern Conference finals against the awaiting New York Knicks, who might have thought the season was already over after nearly needing to wait two weeks for their next game following an easy sweep of the Philadelphia 76ers.
While on paper the Cavs and Knicks are an interesting matchup between two franchises that have been close to getting over the hump but have failed to fully win the East, the actual outcome of the upcoming conference final should be far more straightforward.
The Knicks should beat this Cleveland team.
In fact, as they did with the 76ers, the Knicks should sweep this Cavaliers team based on how it’s currently playing.
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Although Mitchell can take over games, for the most part, that’s all the Cavs have. They have one player who is asked to do most of the offensive work, with James Harden reverting back to the form he generally showcases in the postseason.
On the other end, the Knicks are firing on all cylinders offensively and can beat you on the offensive end in a myriad of ways across their deep roster. With OG Anunoby expected to be back for the upcoming seven-game series after injuring his hamstring against the 76ers, it’s another weapon to the New York arsenal that this Cleveland team isn’t prepared to handle.
The Detroit Pistons were an offensively shallow team with a strong defense.
The New York Knicks are an offensively deep team playing their best ball right now, along with an even better defense.
Tonight, the Cavs and their fans can celebrate. But come the next round, if they don’t improve, it’s not going to Game 7. They’ll be lucky to see Game 5.
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