The 2026 NBA Eastern Conference Finals begin Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, where the New York Knicks host the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 at 8 p.m. ET.
New York enters the series on a seven-game winning streak in the playoffs after sweeping the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The third-seeded Knicks finished the regular season 53-29. Cleveland, seeded fourth at 52-30, needed seven games to close out each of its first two postseason series and started the playoffs 0-5 on the road before winning two consecutive away games to advance.
According to CBS Sports, FanDuel Sportsbook lists New York as a 7.5-point favorite for Game 1, with the over/under set at 217.5 total points. The Knicks won two of three regular season matchups against Cleveland, and the home team won all three of those contests.
The SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every NBA game 10,000 times, has run the Knicks-Cavaliers matchup 10,000 times and projects 220 combined points, putting it above the over/under line. The over went 2-1 in the three regular season meetings between the two teams, with both New York home games going over. The over is also 4-1 over Cleveland's last five games and 4-2 over New York's last six.
Offensively, both teams rank ahead of their defensive numbers this season. New York ranks third in offensive rating and seventh on defense. Cleveland sits sixth offensively but 15th in defensive rating, the lower end of the league. The model projects three players to score more than 20 points in the game, with another six or more expected to reach double figures.
Tipoff is Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET from Madison Square Garden.
