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The Cleveland Cavaliers have played well against the New York Knicks in recent years and they have a good chance to pick up a win against them on Monday. The Cavaliers’ chances will be much higher if All-Star guard Kyrie Irving is in the lineup and it sounds promising that he will be able to play.
The Knicks will travel to Cleveland for the Monday night game, and if you just look at the standings, you might think that the game will be a cakewalk for the road team. The Knicks are in first place in the NBA Atlantic Division with a record of 35-20, while the Cavaliers are in last place in the NBA Central Division with a record of 20-39.
Records can be deceiving, though, and how teams match up is often the best indicator of how a game will turn out.
Cavaliers Head Coach Byron Scott said on Saturday that Cavaliers have played well against the Knicks in the past and he is hoping that the trend will continue on Monday.
“We just seem to match up pretty well against them,” Scott said. Last season and earlier this season, the Cavaliers have done very well against the Knicks. In December, for example, the Knicks beat the Cavaliers by a score of 103-102 in a game that the Wine and Gold could have easily won.
Scott cautioned that forward/center Anderson Varejao was playing in that game and he is now out for the rest of the season due to injuries.
The Cavaliers have quick, young guards in Irving and Dion Waiters, who should be able to give the Knicks some trouble. If forward Alonzo Gee can slow down Knicks star Carmelo Anthony and if Cavaliers big men Tristan Thompson, Tyler Zeller and Marreese Speights can rebound well and be active inside, it will also help the Cavaliers a great deal.
While the records of the teams are much different, it should be noted that the Knicks were playing at their best early in the season and the Cavaliers are playing at their best now. The Cavaliers are a young and improving team and they should come out fired up after being beaten by the Los Angeles Clippers in their last game.
The Knicks should be favored to win, but fans should expect the Cavaliers to play inspired basketball and hope to take down the Knicks.
If Irving plays, the Cavaliers should win this game. If he does not, the Cavaliers should at least keep the game close and they should have a chance to win in the end.
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