DETROIT — The Cavaliers are four wins away from reaching the NBA Finals, but it’s not so simple.
To reach the championship round, the Cavs must first defeat the New York Knicks in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Finals. The winner of Cavs versus Knicks will meet the winner of the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals.
The Cavs traveled a lengthy path to face the Knicks, winning series in seven games against the Toronto Raptors in the first round and the Detroit Pistons in the second round. The Knicks beat the Atlanta Hawks in six games in Round 1 and swept the Philadelphia 76ers 4-0 in Round 2. The Cavs-Pistons series ended on May 17 (with Cleveland triumphing 125-94 in Game 7 in Detroit) and the Knicks-Pistons series ended on May 10. One team has an advantage of a full week of rest over the other.
Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals is scheduled for 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 19, at Madison Square Garden. More information about the Cavs’ next opponent is below.
New York Knicks starters and other key players
Here are the Knicks starters with stats from this year’s playoffs:
Other top Knicks players: guard Miles McBride, center Mitchell Robinson, guard Landry Shamet, center Ariel Hukporti, guard Jose Alvarado and guard Jordan Clarkson
Knicks injury report
The Knicks ended their most recent series with one player on their injury report. Forward OG Anunoby (right hamstring strain) was ruled out of Game 4 against the Philadelphia 76ers on May 10.
New York Knicks coach Mike Brown is a former Cavaliers head coach
The Cavs just eliminated former Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff, who’s in charge of the Pistons. Knicks coach Mike Brown is also a former Cavs coach.
Brown had two stints at the helm of the Cavs (2005-10 and 2013-14).
What is Cavs’ record vs. Knicks? Cavaliers went 1-2 against the New York Knicks in 2025-26 regular season
The Cavs went 1-2 against the Knicks in the 2025-26 regular season.
Here are the results from those Cavs-Knicks games:
Cavs playoff schedule. When do the Cavaliers and Knicks play next?
Eastern Conference playoff bracket 2026
Here are the second-round matchups:
Here are the first-round results:
Cleveland Cavaliers playoff history during their Donovan Mitchell era
This is the fourth consecutive season the Cavs have made the playoffs.
Nate Ulrich is the sports columnist of the Akron Beacon Journal and a sports features writer. Nate can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Who do Cavs play next? It’s Cavaliers vs. Knicks in conference finals
Reporting by Nate Ulrich, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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