Some members from Generation Z might believe that the history of the Cleveland Cavaliers started and ended with a man named LeBron James (not once but twice). They couldn’t be more wrong. The Cavs joined the NBA in 1970 and accumulated plenty of interesting anecdotes through the years, especially early on. For example, they scouted the players for their expansion Draft with the help of trading cards that assistant coach Jim Lessig discovered while shopping for a few gallons of milk.
On that understandably
subpar inaugural roster was also a man named Gary Suiter, whose biggest contributions were eating hot dogs in the stands during warmups and calling the front office disguised as a fan, lobbying for more playing time for—you guessed it—Gary Suiter. When the well-known bachelor tried to shake down the Cavs for bigger travel expenses by hiring a prostitute to play his wife, even the desperate Cavaliers had enough and kicked him out.
Later on, though, basketball really took off in Ohio. The Cavs featured some really exciting teams, especially when the aforementioned James came to town and then came again to actually win a title. Other teams that are fondly remembered in “The Land” are the squads from the late 1980s and 1990s that featured stalwarts like Mark Price, Ron Harper, Brad Daugherty, or Craig Ehlo. Exactly: the guy who is mostly remembered for crumbling to the floor after Michael Jordan’s famous first “shot”, one of the most iconic images in league history.
Facing familiar faces on the Cavaliers
How history and Cleveland will remember the current iteration of Cavaliers remains to be seen, yet it might very well be decided this year. The headliners on Kenny Atkinson’s team are mostly unchanged from last year’s Eastern Conference Finals sweep at the hands our Knickerbockers. That result could be described as another conquered mountain ledge on the Knicks’ way to the NBA summit, or seen as just another failure by a Cavs’ core that’s been trying to win it all for about three years now.
At the heart of that core has been Donovan Mitchell and he is still the headliner at Rocket Arena this season. The stocky highflyer is scoring an efficient 22.5 points per game while probably sporting one of the more explosive games in the league these days. Fans are lamenting his decision making though, criticizing his constant hero ball and what they get for a massive $273 million dollar deal he signed in the summer. Next to Mitchell, a now 37-year-old James Harden runs the point for the Cavaliers, which might also impact “Spida” negatively. The former MVP is showing his age early on, only connects on 38 percent of his shots, and looks disinterested doing it every second night out.
Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen still form Cleveland’s frontline—with all their shortcomings, yet also with plenty of talent. The ultra versatile Mobley has taken his physique and his game to another level in recent years, sports a much better jumper from the outside, and the former Defensive Player of the Year isn’t moved off his spots as easily he used to be. If you want a big to switch effortlessly on Jalen Brunson, he’s your man. His current season has been particularly promising with shooting splits of 56/48.6 (we’ll ignore the 63 percent from the line this time around). Allen is kind of there: big, athletic, and skilled, yet you won’t see him in any Strongman or Tough Mudder competitions any time soon.
A new supporting cast for Kenny Atkinson
After their four starters from last year, Cleveland has mixed it up a bit. They got emerging defensive specialist Peyton Watson from Denver (he is struggling early on with barely 10 points per game), found the talented Meleek Thomas (13.0 points) in the second round of the NBA Draft, and subscribed to the “Super Mario” Hezonja (8.6 points) experience. Sharpshooter Sam Merril and Jaylon Tyson are leftovers from last season and still contribute fairly consistently.
Even if Cleveland got a bit longer and a bit more athletic, you still have to wonder where all of this is really going. They are good but how good really? Can they really compete with the top teams in the East? So far there is just a lot of “meh” in their profile. Standing at 5-4 they rank 9th in offensive rating and 14th in defensive rating. They play with a solid yet unspectacular pace (thank you, James Harden) and are average at best on the boards or from the field. Cleveland doesn’t turn the ball over, which is good, yet doesn’t force any turnovers either, which is bad (only the Bucks and Knicks make the opponent cough the ball up fewer times than Cleveland).
To be fair, Cleveland is a team that for the most part knows who it is, and such groups can take a little time shaking off the rust, especially after a long last season—we as Bocker buddies know all about it. The Cavaliers, just like the Knicks again, have a lot of things going for them, but it seems like Cleveland unlike New York also has a definitive ceiling. I’d mostly call it James Harden as he has never shown that he can be the ultimate difference maker in the postseason, at least not in a good way. Until then of course the Cavaliers are a perfectly fine, quality opponent, especially at home. They just proved it in their NBA cup last night against the Philadelphia 76ers, dismantling the fighting Nurses 119-95.
Let’s hope our Knicks fare a little better tonight and that the biggest historical significance of this game is another win for the good guys. At the very least we don’t have to worry about any of our players binge eating in the stands before the game, I guess. As funny as that would be.
Game Details
Who: New York Knicks (4-4) at Cleveland Cavaliers (5-4)
Date: Saturday, November 7, 2026
Time: 8:00 PM ET
Place: Rocket Arena, Cleveland, OH
TV: MSG, NBATV
Follow:@ptknicksblog andbsky
