Former NBA guard Iman Shumpert played for both the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks during his NBA career, and he won a title with Cleveland in the 2016 NBA Finals.
Ahead of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Cavs and Knicks on Tuesday night, Shumpert shared some keys for Cleveland.
"This is gonna be tough for the Cavs in New York..
If they're gonna steal one I think it's gonna have to be tonight" ~ @imanshumpert #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/02mTmrHL6K
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) May 19, 2026
“If they are gonna steal a game, I think it’s gonna have to be Game 1 against the Knicks, which is gonna be tough,” Shumpert said.
The NBA champion continued.
“Coming with that rhythm…and trying to jump on the Knicks early may be the biggest game plan that they can go with if they’re the Cavs because it’s already hard to steal one on the road, but when a team’s been sitting for that long, you try and catch them sleeping,” he said.
The Cavs played Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Sunday night, so they have a quick turnaround for Game 1. Meanwhile, the Knicks haven’t played since sweeping the Philadelphia 76ers on May 10. If the Cavs are going to get a game in New York, Shumpert made it pretty clear that Tuesday night’s matchup is the one to steal.
“Game 1 is the circled game for the Cavs,” Shumpert said. “If they’re gonna steal one, it’s gonna have to be now because once the Knicks get rolling, we’ve seen what they can do.”
The Cavs have struggled on the road at times in the playoffs, going 0-3 in the first round against the Toronto Raptors, but they did turn things around late in their series against the Detroit Pistons.
Cleveland started 0-5 on the road this postseason but won Games 5 and 7 against the Pistons on the road to advance. So, it’s possible the squad will carry that momentum into the looming matchup at Madison Square Garden.
Cavs star Donovan Mitchell had a big showing in Game 7 on Sunday, and the team needs him to match (and potentially outplay) Knicks star Jalen Brunson.
Another member from the Cavs’ 2016 title team, retired big man Channing Frye, recently expressed some concerns for the Cavs on the defensive end when facing Brunson and this loaded New York offense.
The Knicks won two of three meetings against Cleveland during the regular season, but the Cavs won the only game they played after veteran James Harden was acquired at the trade deadline. Harden has been up and down in the playoffs, and Cleveland will need the former MVP at his best to reach the NBA Finals.
Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals is set to begin at 8 p.m. EST on Tuesday.
