It’s been a long time since the Knicks played a basketball game. By the time the Knicks face the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Tuesday, New York will be nine days removed from its last game. Though rest is important, it will be interesting to see how New York looks after a lengthy break.

Led by Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley, the Cavaliers just finished up a grueling seven-game series against the Detroit Pistons. With four past and present All-Stars on the roster, Cleveland has a good mix of talent and should be a tough challenge for the Knicks. 

Here are some keys to watch for in the series opener. 

One category the Knicks can take control of in this series is possessions. Cleveland has the second-highest turnover rate (17.0 percent) among all 16 teams, according to NBA Stats. The Cavaliers also have the third-lowest defensive rebound rate (65.2 percent).

Cleveland’s starting lineup features two big men in Mobley and Jarrett Allen, but they still are susceptible to giving up offensive rebounds. Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson could both feast on the offensive glass during this series. 

In fact, it was Robinson who dominated with 29 offensive caroms in New York’s 2023 4-1 first round series win against the Cavaliers. We could see more of Towns and Robinson on the floor together in this series. Through the first two rounds, the pairing has only seen the floor for 11 minutes, per NBA Stats. 

Cleveland took care of the ball in the regular season, finishing ninth in turnover rate. But the playoffs have seen their opponents exert extra pressure with strategies like pressing full court. The Knicks could follow suit and apply more pressure. 

New York was able to thrive with or without Anunoby in the playoffs. Though the Knicks won without Anunoby in the final two games of their 4-0 series sweep of the 76ers, they will need the two-way player to have control in this conference finals. 

Anunoby is expected to return for Game 1 on Tuesday from a right hamstring injury. He was a full participant in practice late last week. Anunoby, who missed Games 3 and 4 against Philadelphia, has been awesome in the postseason. In eight games, he’s averaging 21.4 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.9 steals.

Anunoby’s ability to space the floor as a shooter and finisher at the rim has been crucial to New York’s playoff run. He’s also a very versatile defender. Anunoby will start games guarding Mobley, but there will also likely be possessions where he checks Cleveland’s pair of scoring guards Mitchell and James Harden.

The first few moments of Game 1 will be important to see how Anunoby looks after the injury and long layoff. 

Cleveland has been one of a handful of teams to guard Josh Hart with a center. In Hart’s two games played against the Cavaliers, he was primarily defended by Allen.

In a late-February 109-94 win by the Cavaliers, Hart attempted a season-high eight three-point attempts (he made two of the treys) in just 26 minutes and 13 seconds of action. Hart had a good season as a shooter, knocking down a career-high 41.3 percent from beyond the arc.

Despite the career year, Hart has not been as effective from deep during the playoffs, shooting 27.5 percent on 40 attempts. Hart can be a reluctant shooter, especially if he misses his first few open attempts. 

New York has found some workarounds for centers defending Hart, such as initiating the offense through Towns. But, Allen is a disruptor in the paint, so Hart will have to knock down some shots to keep the defense honest. How Cleveland guards Hart will be something to watch for. His outside shooting will be a swing factor in this series.