The New York Knicks are expected to be one of the NBA’s best teams next season, and a matchup with an Eastern Conference rival is already receiving a ton of hype.
The Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers will face off three times, on opening night, on Christmas Day, and late in the season on Feb. 24. That final matchup is the one that many are expecting to be a classic.
Bleacher Report’s Joseph Zucker cited that matchup as one of the NBA’s top 10 matchups to watch next season.
“Cleveland had the best record in the conference (64-18), while New York advanced to the conference finals. Neither the Cavs nor the Knicks suffered a personnel loss that points to a clear decline, either,” Zucker said. “Beyond potentially being a postseason preview, going on the road and playing the Cavaliers is an opportunity for New York to show it won’t struggle against the East elite any longer with Mike Brown at the helm.”
In particular, the Knicks struggled against the NBA’s top teams last, going winless in 10 tries against the top three teams (0-2 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, 0-4 against the Cavaliers, and 0-4 against the Boston Celtics). Ironically, the Knicks won four games versus the Celtics in their second-round playoff matchup.
The Knicks will be looking to build off last season’s success, and also clean up some of their mishaps in this upcoming season. New York will be looking to be more competitive versus the top teams in the league in order to establish themselves as a serious title contender.
