Cavaliers vs. Knicks Series Prediction, Odds, Best Bets for NBA Eastern Conference Finals

Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks are back in the Eastern Conference Finals for the second season in a row, and they’re favored to reach the NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

New York was also favored in the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals, but a shocking loss in Game 1 ultimately doomed the Knicks against the Indiana Pacers. Can they avoid another disappointment in 2026?

Both of these teams entered this season with title expectations, though their paths to Eastern Conference Finals have been very different.

Cleveland struggled to start the season, but it ultimately earned the No. 4 spot in the East, making an impressive run up the standings after adding James Harden at the deadline. Cleveland beat the Knicks in the lone game these teams played with Harden on the roster.

Then, the Cavs needed seven games against Toronto and Detroit, winning a road Game 7 on Sunday against the Pistons to reach the Eastern Conference.

For the Knicks, the playoffs have been a lot simpler, as they have the best net rating (plus-20.0) in the NBA, losing just two games to Atlanta before sweeping the Philadelphia 76ers. New York hasn’t played since Sunday, May 10, but it did get much-needed rest for OG Anunoby (hamstring), who has practiced in full in the leadup to Game 1.

New York has vaulted into the title conversation in recent weeks, but the Cavs actually entered the playoffs with better odds to win the East than New York. So, who should we bet on in this series?

Here’s a look at all of the series markets as well as my prediction for which of these teams will reach the NBA Finals.

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Cavaliers vs. Knicks Series Odds

Cavs: +215
Knicks: -265

Based on these odds (New York -265), the Knicks have an implied probability of 72.60 percent to win this series.

That’s quite the swing from before the playoffs when the Knicks third in the odds to win the Eastern Conference behind Boston and Cleveland. Since Boston was upset in the first round, the Knicks have since moved to the favorite in that market.

Entering the 2025-26 season, these teams were expected to be the top two teams in the conference, so it’s interesting that they now meet in the Eastern Conference Finals as the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds.

However,it's pretty clear that the Knicks have been the more dominant team in the playoffs, ranking in the top-two in the league in offensive, defensive and net rating this postseason while the Cavs (8-6 overall) are just sixth in the NBA in net rating (plus-1.0).

Cavaliers vs. Knicks Series Correct Score

Knicks in 5: +320
Knicks in 7: +330
Knicks in 6: +475
Knicks in 4: +550
Cavs in 6: +600
Cavs in 7: +850
Cavs in 5: +1600
Cavs in 4: +2200

Not only are the Knicks expected to win this series, but every outcome with them winning covers the top four in the correct score odds. Cleveland’s best chance – based on the odds – is to win this series in six games (+600). New York winning five games (+320) is the most-likely outcome, though it’s very close with the Knicks in seven games (+330).

The Cavs’ road struggles are notable since they do not have home court in this series, and the Knicks simply have a much more talented offensive team than Detroit or Toronto, two teams that took the Cavs to seven games.

Meanwhile, the Cavs have posted an offensive rating of just 109.4 on the road, which is more than eight points worse per 100 possessions than it has been at home.

The Knicks enter this series with a 4-1 record both at home and on the road, and both of their losses were by just one point to Atlanta.

Cavaliers vs. Knicks Series Spread

Cavs: +1.5 (+100)
Knicks: -1.5 (-120)

The only way for the Cavs to cover this line is by forcing a Game 7 or winning the series. So, with Cleveland at +100 to cover, oddsmakers are giving the Cavs a 50/50 chance of making that happen.

The Cavs have gone to seven games in back-to-back series, and they have the top-line talent to compete with New York in this matchup. The issue is that New York’s offense (No. 4 in the NBA in the regular season, No. 2 in the playoffs) is a massive step up from Toronto and Detroit, two teams that struggled to score in the playoffs outside of their top stars (Scottie Barnes and Cade Cunningham).

New York also has a huge rest advantage after sweeping Philadelphia while the Cavs have played the maximum number of games (14) to reach the Eastern Conference Finals.

Cavaliers vs. Knicks Series Total Games

5.5 (Over -150/Under +125)

Even though the Knicks winning this series in five games is the most-likely outcome based on the correct score odds, the series total odds suggest that we could see a long series. The OVER (-150) is pretty heavily favored, and three of the four playoff series from these teams in 2026 have gone to at least six games.

Since Cleveland is 6-1 at home in the 2026 playoffs, it may be able to at least force a Game 6 – if not more – if that trend continues against New York.

Cavaliers vs. Knicks Series Prediction and Pick

The Knicks’ postseason profile is extremely impressive.

They are No. 2 in offensive rating, No. 2 in defensive rating and No. 1 in net rating after dominating the 76ers in the second round. New York has several blowout wins this postseason, and both of its losses to Atlanta came by one point.

Meanwhile, the Cavs have struggled on the road (2-5 this postseason), posting an offensive rating that is nearly nine points per 100 possessions worse than it has been at home. On top of that, the Cavs faced two struggling offenses (and a short-handed Toronto team) to open the playoffs.

The Knicks are the complete opposite. New York was the No. 4 offense in the NBA in the regular season, and it has been rolling with Karl-Anthony Towns as a post playmaker for this team.

There is going to be a lot made about the Jalen Brunson vs. Donovan Mitchell matchup – even though they won’t guard each other – but the Knicks’ dominated the Cavs back in 2023 by being the more physical team on the glass.

Cleveland is going to have to contain Mitchell Robinson and Towns, and it’s worth noting that both Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley played well in Game 7 of the second round on Sunday.

On defense, the Cavs are going to have some size – Max Strus or Dean Wade – on Brunson, but Mitchell and James Harden are the players to watch on that end. Can they hold up against Anunoby (21.4 points per game this postseason) or Mikal Bridges, who averaged 17.5 per game against Philly while shooting over 63 percent from the field?

This is a much tougher matchup than facing Toronto without Immanuel Quickley and Brandon Ingram or the Pistons, who simply couldn’t get any offense going outside of Cade Cunningham for most of the postseason.

I do think there is a level that the Cavs can go to on offense that Detroit could not, which could make things a little more interesting in this matchup. After all, Cleveland was sixth in offensive rating during the regular season.

I lean with the Knicks to take this series, but the series total and spread odds suggest this is going to be longer than some people expect. I have the Knicks taking this one in seven games, as they should handle business at home against a Cavs team that is 2-5 on the road this postseason.

Pick: Knicks in 6 (-265, +475 at DraftKings)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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