In the 2022-23 campaign, a memorable season for the Cleveland Cavaliers came to a crashing end when they were dominated by the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs.
Before the Cavs and Knicks met on Friday, head coach Kenny Atkinson said that Cleveland’s players haven’t forgotten about how that series went.
“They remember,” Atkinson said. “I know our players remember. They talk about it.”
Atkinson wasn’t with the Cavs for that 2023 playoff matchup, but players like Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen and others were. It’s no surprise that they still talk about that series. After the Cavs won 51 games in the regular season and earned home-court advantage for the first round of the playoffs, the Knicks dismantled them in five games.
It was a harsh reality check for Cleveland, a team that has been trying to get over the hump in recent years. Last season, the Cavs won a playoff series for the first time since 2018 but came up short of making a truly deep run. This season, with Atkinson in the fold, the Cavs are trying to reach new heights, and it appears that they’re on track to do just that.
They dominated the Knicks on Friday, perhaps with that 2023 series in mind, by a final score of 142-105. New York wasn’t at 100 percent, but it was an impressive win regardless. Cleveland is now 46-10 on the season, the best record in the NBA for the time being. The Cavs have a comfortable lead for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Based on how the standings look, a playoff rematch between the Cavs and Knicks is no guarantee this season, but if it were to happen, Cleveland would probably feel a lot better about its chances this time around. The squad has shown that it can compete against anyone in the NBA.
Next up for the Cavs is a home matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday. Cleveland is working on a six-game winning streak that started before the All-Star break, and the team will look to stretch it to seven against the Grizzlies.
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