In a world that existed not so long ago, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Donovan Mitchell and the New York Knicks would find each other. We all knew Mitchell’s days with the Utah Jazz were numbered after another disappointing playoff exit in 2022. The obvious inference was the Bronx native was going to force his way back home to lead the Knicks back to relevance.
Reality didn’t quite work out that way. Because Mitchell signed a 5-year, $195 million rookie max extension with the Jazz in 2020, his fate was ultimately left in the hands of a franchise that would be tasked with rebuilding upon his departure. When the Knicks refused to offer the additional sweetener that Utah desired in the deal, the Cleveland Cavaliers swooped in and made a preferable offer.
As a result of missing out on Mitchell, the Knicks pivoted to Jalen Brunson, who opted to leave the Dallas Mavericks in free agency for the opportunity to become the No. 1 option for a franchise that was on the verge of turning the corner. Upon Brunson’s arrival in New York, he immediately ascended from an elite second option to flat out one of the best guards in the NBA. The perceived gap between Brunson and Mitchell has completely disappeared and probably even gone the other direction, and the collective success that both the Knicks and Cavaliers have had since that fateful summer has left both franchises (and fanbases) beyond pleased with how it played out.
At least for now.
What’s At Stake
The uncomfortable reality of this upcoming Eastern Conference Finals is that it matters immensely in the legacy of both Mitchell and Brunson. The pair have been directly compared to each other for the last four years and each had waves of great success followed by what is seemingly an annual playoff shortcoming, which has taken a toll on the perception of both. It’s beyond poetic that one of them now has to defeat the other to shed that perception, but that cloud will only grow darker and more imposing for the loser.
Anyway, that’s enough about those two. These are two championship caliber basketball teams after all, which means there’s plenty more to talk about in the department of impact players. The Cavaliers supporting cast was especially crucial in their Game 7 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday, as center Jarret Allen and reserve Sam Merrill each scored 23 points behind Mitchell’s game-high 26 to send the Pistons to Cancun with a decisive victory. James Harden was mostly a non-factor for Cleveland in Game 7, but he came up big in Games 5 and 6 and will certainly have his moments (both good and bad) against New York this series.
“There’s a lot of storylines for you guys to write about. I didn’t know they were close friends”
Mike Brown was asked about Donovan Mitchell going up against Jalen Brunson and learned Donovan’s father works for the Mets pic.twitter.com/zVEFRAlnpL
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 18, 2026
Knicks in … ?
The Knicks, on the other hand, are likely going to be aided by the return of forward OG Anunoby, who’s listed as probable for Game 1 after missing the final two games of the 76ers series with a hamstring injury. In his eight appearances for the Knicks this postseason, Anunoby is second on the team in scoring with an average of 21.5 points per game, in addition to 7.5 rebounds and 3.2 stocks (steals + blocks) per game. Karl-Anthony Towns has seen a slight dip in his scoring production from the regular season, but it’s largely because he’s been playing as more of a facilitator than usual. Towns is still averaging 17.4 points and 10 rebounds but is up to a team-high 6.6 assists per game this postseason, even eclipsing Brunson’s 6.1.
Ahead of Game 1 on Tuesday night, the New York Knicks are a rather decisive -265 to win the series. Not only that, Caesars currently has the Knicks listed at +330 to win the series exactly 3-1, which is the second-shortest odds listed for among all of the exact series scores. Tip off for Game 1 is set for 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST and the game will be broadcast on ESPN, so no need to worry about finding a bar or restaurant that has Prime Video.
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