3 Things Cleveland Cavaliers Must Learn from New York Knicks Title Run

The Cleveland Cavaliers 2026 season ended with a thud.

Although the team made it to the Eastern Conference Finals and were eliminated by the new NBA Champion New York Knicks, the Cavs have some work to do to get on the Knicks' level, not to mention the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.

The 29 teams that don't get to hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy often look at what made the championships succeed. Are there wrinkles in their system? Personnel? Better coaching? There are many different things the Knicks did better than the Cavs did in the postseason.

So what exactly can the Cavs take away from the Knicks being the final team standing?

The Cavs Need More Wings:

May 7, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward/center Dean Wade (32) shoots in the first half against the Detroit Pistons during game two of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

The Knicks had a few wings that made life much easier for Jalen Brunson and Karl Anthony-Towns. The likes of OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, and Mikail Bridges played big roles in their success ,and the Cavs need more players to play that role. Right now, the Cavs' only true wing is Dean Wade, who the Cavs are reportedly prioritizing bringing back for next season.

Other than LeBron James, the free agent market isn't necessarily stacked with needle movers. Guys like Khris Middleton, Tobias Harris, and Harrison Barnes aren't putting the Cavs over the top, so the trade market could be their best bet.

Will they pull a sign-and-trade with the Lakers for LeBron? Can they make another blockbuster trade with the Clippers for Kawhi Leonard? What about the Boston Celtics Jaylen Brown? All of these options would take a lot of work and likely make Cavs fans uncomfortable with the risk attached to the player, but they might also be worth it.

Creating more space for Donovan Mitchell:

Spida — May 23, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) reacts in the third quarter against the New York Knicks during game three of the eastern conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

Jalen Brunson brought home the finals MVP after a historic performance in the close-out game. One thing Brunson does so well is creating space and getting downhill. Donovan Mitchell is a much better player when he gets more paint touches, whether that's attacking the rim, dishing to the open man at the perimeter, or using his floater. All similar traits to Brunson. This is not just a Mitchell problem; this is something the Cavs need to do together as a unit.

Kenny Atkinson and staff need to develop more game plans for Mitchell's strengths. If he truly is your franchise guy and you want the ball in his hands, you must let him do what he does best.

If the Cavs can build their offense to give Mitchell more space, this will help a lot, where they struggled in the playoffs with being really stagnant and having a ton of unforced live-ball turnovers.

Transition Game needs to improve on both sides of the ball:

The Cavaliers were just simply not good enough in transition. Offensively, they were not able to push the ball as much as they needed, and defensively, they let too many players leak out for easy baskets. The Knicks took full advantage of the Cavs issues here during the Eastern Conference Finals. Whether it was lazy passes by the Cavs left players on an island trying to stop fast breaks, or letting teams beat them on 50/50 balls, this is something the Cavs need to change.

It may not look exactly the same with James Harden as the lead ball handler, but one thing Kenny Atkinson did so well his first season was the right way to use Evan Mobley in transition, putting him in places as a trailer or even the ball handler taking the ball down the court. We already mentioned that Mitchell is so good at getting downhill, so this is something the Cavaliers need to reach their potential.

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