Coming out of the All-Star break, the matchup between the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse is something everyone has been looking forward to. Both the Cavs and the Knicks are two of the stronger teams in a heavily-contested Eastern Conference. So, this will be a battle from the moment the game begins. Moreover, Cleveland and New York also seem destined to clash come playoff time, with a possible rematch between both teams having a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals on the line.

It just depends on who is available when the Cavs host the Knicks. Heading into the matchup, Cleveland will be without Emoni Bates (NBA G League assignment), Ty Jerome (ankle), Isaiah Mobley (NBA G League assignment), Pete Nance (NBA G League assignment) and Tristan Thompson (suspension), but that was to be expected.

Bates, Mobley, and Nance being unavailable is no surprise since all three aren't normal members of Cleveland's rotation and need to take advantage of the on-court reps available to them with the Cleveland Charge, the NBA G League affiliate of the Cavs. Jerome, meanwhile, had surgery on a nagging ankle injury in late January, with no sign of return, while Thompson is currently serving game 19 of a 25-game suspension after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. So the end is in sight for Cleveland to get back their veteran big man.

Instead, the biggest question mark for the Cavs heading into this Eastern Conference matchup with New York is whether or not Donovan Mitchell (knee) and Caris LeVert will be available.

Mitchell is currently listed as questionable to play at home against New York. Without him, Cleveland tends to struggle on the offensive side of the ball as their MVP-caliber guard is typically at the center of everything they do offensively. If Mitchell can play, the Cavs won't struggle on offense and will begin to execute what has become their new identity on that side of the ball—taking and making as many 3-pointers as possible.

To make things worse, not having LeVert could be tricky as well for the Cavs. LeVert is Cleveland's bonafide sixth man and their premiere ball handler and scoring threat off the bench. The luxury of having LeVert available is he can play in place of or alongside whomever the Cavs want at point guard. Without LeVert, it takes the wind out of Cleveland's sails even more, especially if Mitchell is unavailable on top of that.

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
Cavs' Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell looking frustrated, with Magic's Paolo Banchero smiling

Jedd Pagaduan ·

Cavaliers Magic Game 4 Prediction

RB Hayek ·

76ers Joel Embiid on the bench from game one or game two of playoff series vs. New York Knicks with Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart smiling or laughing.

Drew Maresca ·

Usually, Mitchell will tweet Cleveland's hashtag #LetEmKnow soon before tipoff. So, keep your eyes on social media to lock in whether or not Mitchell is playing. If he ends up missing the game, then Isaac Okoro will start in his place and Mitchell's minutes will be distributed between Okoro, Max Strus, and even Sam Merrill, who should get more playing time under head coach J.B. Bickerstaff. If LeVert is unable to go, then Okoro, Strus, Merrill, Craig Porter Jr., and Darius Garland will see even heavier minutes, trying to cobble together just enough to hang with the Knicks.

The Cavs have to maintain their rhythm after a dominant win over the  Detroit Pistons since this matchup with the Knicks is do or die. The Milwaukee Bucks are within spitting distance of Cleveland in the standings and a loss to New York would only make things tighter in a hyper-competitive Eastern Conference, not to mention serve as a massive morale blow for a Cavs team that has struggled to find consistency coming out of the All-Star Break.