Cavs vs Knicks predictions. Who wins Game 3 of Conference Finals?

[Mickey the Mouth]

CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers are in a familiar spot, though it isn't an advantageous situation.

The Cavs lost Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals to the New York Knicks, and in doing so fell behind 0-2 in the series. It's the second consecutive series in which they've dropped the first two games, both times on the road. Cleveland came back to beat the Detroit Pistons in Game 7 in the second round, and they'll have to again come back, this time against the Knicks.

Here are Cavs-Knicks Game 3 predictions from Beacon Journal sports writers Ryan Lewis and Nate Ulrich.

Cavs vs Knicks predictions. Who wins Game 3? | Ryan Lewis​

• The Cavs were torched by Jalen Brunson in the fourth quarter of Game 1 and decided to throw everything they had at him in Game 2. In response, Josh Hart torched them time and time again. Neither approach has worked well enough for the Cavs to steal a game in New York.
• Another key element of Game 2 was how the Cavs went away from their bigs in the second half. Evan Mobley was terrific up until halftime but was a non-factor on the offensive end in the third and fourth quarters. Jarrett Allen noted that perhaps he and Mobley need to be more proactive instead of waiting for calls for screens, but regardless of where the directive comes from it's clear the Cavs need to keep the two bigs involved on offense.
• That's especially true with Donovan Mitchell not being nearly as downhill or aggressive as he was in the second round. He's still scoring at a pretty good clip, but he isn't getting into the lane quite as much, either. He says he's fine and isn't dealing with an ankle injury or anything else, but there's a reason he's been asked about it several times over the last week or so.
• All of that being said, the Cavs have been in this position twice and they've responded well at Rocket Arena in both cases (Game 5 against the Raptors, Game 3 against the Pistons) after back-to-back road playoff losses. They've been a much better, more efficient team at home, with the lone exception being Game 6 of the conference semifinals.
• James Harden getting his turnover issue under control should lead to some positives eventually. Mitchell is still scoring. And the Cavs likely learned from their mistakes in going away from Mobley and Allen to such a high degree in the second half of Game 2. They're all convinced the process was right, and shots just didn't fall. Shooting variance might turn in their favor at home, and even though their backs against the wall, it might be their most comfortable position if recent history is any indication.
• Cavs 108, Knicks 105

Cavs vs Knicks predictions. Who wins Game 3? | Nate Ulrich​

• In Game 1, Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson neglected to call a timeout and perform the Heimlich maneuver on his team amid an 18-1 run by the Knicks in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, Atkinson and the Cavs failed to adequately adjust on the defensive end of the floor as Knicks star Jalen Brunson torched Cavs point guard James Harden to seize control. Then the Knicks dominated overtime, outscoring the Cavs 14-3 after regulation. The Cavs fell 115-104.
• In Game 2, the Cavs surrendered an 18-0 run to the Knicks in the third quarter. With Cleveland heavily concentrated on Brunson, he scored 19 points but also dished out 14 assists. Knicks forward Josh Hart took advantage of open looks and scored 26 points. On the other hand, the Cavs had a poor shooting night (38.8% from the field and 25.7% on 3-pointers) and too often strayed on offense from forward Evan Mobley, who had 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the floor in the first half, only to attempt zero field goals in the second half. The Cavs lost 109-93.
• With the best-of-seven series shifting from New York to Cleveland, the Cavs face as much of a must-win scenario as possible without the presence of an elimination game. No NBA team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series. A sense of desperation should be palpable in Rocket Arena.
• The Knicks are probably a deeper team than the Cavs, yet a gargantuan gap in talent between the two rosters does not exist. A sweep should not be in the cards for the Cavs, so the prediction here is they will act accordingly in Game 3.
• Cavs 114, Knicks 110

Ryan Lewis and Nate Ulrich cover the Cavaliers for the Akron Beacon Journal. The Beacon Journal sports department can be reached at bjsports@thebeaconjournal.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Cavaliers vs New York Knicks Game 3 predictions

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