Tonight, the New York Knicks will host the Cleveland Cavaliers for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. If tonight’s contest is anything like Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, the NBA world is in for a treat. Ahead of tonight’s action, Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson gave his Cavaliers-Knicks prediction.
Magic Johnson Predicts the Knicks Will Advance to the NBA Finals
Game 1 at Madison Square Garden is scheduled to tip off at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN. Johnson believes New York will take the series and advance to the NBA Finals.
“I’m looking forward to tonight’s Eastern Conference Finals matchup, and I’m picking the Knicks to win this Series vs the Cavs,” Johnson wrote on X. “They have the best bench of the matchup, which I think will be a big factor in deciding who will advance. The only thing the Knicks should be worried about is their time off since their last game, since they were playing their best basketball!”
I’m looking forward to tonight’s Eastern Conference Finals matchup and I’m picking the Knicks to win this Series vs the Cavs. They have the best bench of the matchup, which I think will be a big factor in deciding who will advance. The only thing the Knicks should be worried…
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) May 19, 2026
The Knicks have not played since May 10 after they swept the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round. Outside of Game 2’s six-point victory, New York beat Philadelphia by at least 14 points in the other three contests, including 39-point and 30-point wins in Games 1 and 4, respectively. Since the Knicks trailed 2-1 in their first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks on April 23, they have won seven-straight games by an average margin of victory of 26.4 points.
Johnson raises the question of “rest vs. rust” because New York has had much more time off than Cleveland. The Cavaliers just finished a seven-game series against the Detroit Pistons on May 17. Donovan Mitchell stepped up in a big way in Game 7 with a 26-point, 8-assist, 0-turnover performance to lead his squad to victory. The seven-time All-Star had never reached the Conference Finals in his nine-year NBA career until these playoffs.
Johnson believes New York’s bench will be the determining factor in the series. It averages 32.4 points per game, ranking fifth among playoff squads, while the Cavaliers’ bench averages 29.8 points per game. The Knicks also have the bigs in Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson to match up against Cleveland’s Evan Mobley-Jarrett Allen frontcourt.
