Sneaker Rivals: Cleveland Cavaliers vs New York Knicks

It took a seven-game series to get there, but Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers are in the Eastern Conference Finals to take on the rested New York Knicks. Luckily for the Cavs, they had more than enough to defeat a young, up-and-coming Detroit Pistons team that will surely be back this time next year with more experience and wisdom, not to mention a Nike signature athlete in Cade Cunningham. The Cavs’ win was also huge for adidas as they have two veteran signature athletes on the roster in Donovan Mitchell and James Harden. They will be taking on the New York Knicks, a team filled with Nike athletes led by Jalen Brunson and his bevy of Kobe Protro player exclusives.

For fans of narratives in their basketball games, there is plenty to keep them busy in this series. Cleveland is looking for their first championship in the post-LeBron James era and this is their best chance so far with Mitchell and Harden, two players who are also chasing the ring that will “define their legacy,” because being all-time playmakers is apparently not enough for the fandom.

The New York Knicks are carrying the weight of an entire city on their shoulders, absolutely burdened by what has been. Jalen Brunson is the team’s biggest star since Carmelo Anthony, although it can be argued he’s already surpassed Melo in terms of on-court achievement. If the Knicks were able to beat the Cavs, does that put Brunson at the top of the Knicks pyramid, or will he need that championship to be able to stand alongside a whole bunch of Knicks legends that 95% of the people reading were not even alive to see?

Nike showed their petty side when the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round, debuting a Victor Wembanyama ad that poked fun at adidas and Anthony Edwards “Believe That” campaign. Depending on the victor of this series, we could either see Nike piling on the wins or adidas returning the favor with a triple threat from not only Mitchell and Harden, but All-Star center Evan Mobley as well. Plenty of options for brand pettiness are on the table, which, on a personal level, is a lot more intriguing and fun to discuss than “rangz” culture.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Starters: Donovan Mitchell (adidas), James Harden (adidas), Evan Mobley (adidas), Jarrett Allen (Nike Kyrie 3), Max Strus (Nike)

Sixth Man: Dean Wade (Nike)

Can you really be eight signature shoes deep and still be anonymous? Because Donovan Mitchell doesn’t chase the spotlight with flashy ads and celebrity shenanigans like James Harden has in the past, present, and probably future, the adidas D.O.N. has flown under the radar. They have a presence in basketball circuits and kids whose parents love Spider-Man-themed kicks, but rarely do they pop on socials except when they debut.

On the flip side, James Harden’s signature line has experienced a renaissance in the past several years with eye-catching design, inspired collaborations, and colorways that pop off the screen. And thanks to the Clippers front office, these two adidas stars are on the same team with a realistic chance to make it to the NBA Finals. Harden has been chasing that dragon ever since he was traded away from Oklahoma City 14 years ago, and now he’s on a team that doesn’t have to rely on his shooting to win a game 7.

Somewhere in the middle of Mitchell and Harden lies Evan Mobley. He signed a big deal with adidas prior to the 2021 NBA Draft, but it hasn’t necessarily translated to signature shoe status. Mobley’s adidas repertoire for the past several years included wearing the latest Hardens and Dames prior to James arriving in Cleveland, but then he began this season wearing the adidas Anthony Edwards 2. The East Finals should be an interesting look with D.O.N.’s, Hardens, and AE 2s populating the court at one time.

Rounding out the Cavs lineup are Max Strus and Dean Wade wearing various Nike KD 18s, probably because they haven’t received their shipment of KD 19s as of yet. Hopefully they do make it in time for the series so that Nike's representation is up to date on the Cavs. That’s important to note because one player who won’t be wearing the latest Nikes is Jarrett Allen. Citing comfort and apparently stubbornness, he’s been wearing the same Nike Kyrie 3 model his entire NBA career. When he spoke to The Athletic earlier this year, Allen said that he was down to his last pair. If there was ever a time for a size 17 owner of a Kyrie 3 to make themselves known to a former NBA All-Star, now is the time.

New York Knicks

Starters: Jalen Brunson (Nike), Jose Alvarado (AND1), Josh Hart (Nike)

Reserves: Mikal Bridges (Nike), Miles McBride (Anta), Mitchell Robinson (Nike)

The hits continue for Jalen Brunson and his unofficial "official" position as a hypothetical Kobe Brand athlete. Confused yet? Nike really needs to set the record straight and definitively say a Kobe Brand is happening or not so we’re not out here wishcasting every other day when Jalen is debuting a new Kobe Protro colorway. In the past week, we’ve seen him rock a Kobe 5 Protro in honor of his daughter and a Kobe 3 Low Protro that pays homage to the Super Saiyan God transformation by Goku and Vegeta in the Dragon Ball Super anime. There’s no telling what else is in store for us over the next few days if Brunson and the Knicks continue the roll they’ve been on these playoffs.

Another Knicks star that’s been getting plenty of attention is guard Jose Alvarado. He started rocking various AND1 models at the start of the playoffs before getting the player exclusive treatment with Knicks-colored Mad Game Pros that he’ll hopefully rock for the East Finals. It’s the synergy of AND1 and New York that makes this new partnership work. It’s unlikely there would be this level of buzz for GTA and AND1 if he were still in New Orleans.

Other players who have benefited from not only being associated with the Knicks but also being teammates with Jalen Brunson in college are Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges. If they’re not starring alongside Brunson in promos for the Wu-Tang Nike Dunks, they’re rocking all of the latest Kobe Protros and Nike Ja 3s along with the occasional Brunson PE in their sizes. Maybe a championship will net them some exclusives for themselves in a few weeks, but the world might explode from the euphoria of Knicks fans finally bringing home a championship for the first time in a very long time that sneakers are the last thing on anyone’s mind.

Miles McBride is a name that might not be familiar to folks outside of New York, but if he keeps putting up games like his 25-point performance in the finale against the Philadelphia 76ers, he’s going to be a Knicks legend in no time. If that’s the case, ANTA is going to love having a cult hero in New York that they can use for promotions after signing McBridge last year. The ANTA Kai 2 and Kai 2 Speed have been on the rotation all season long so here’s looking forward to some Kai 3s or maybe even some exclusives in the East Finals.

Mitchell Robinson should have been featured in our last preview with the Knicks simply for his sneaker game, but Karl Anthony-Towns just being Karl Anthony-Towns, there’s an obligation to get him in early. Now Robinson gets a chance to shine with his fragment x Nike Book 2s and assortment of Book 1s.

Historical Matchup: Knicks vs Cavs (2023) (2014)

Yes, the Cavs and the Knicks most recently faced off in the playoffs back in 2023, but that’s not as interesting as this stat: LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony met nine times when LeBron was with Cleveland and Melo played for the Knicks. Of those nine games, Melo won only once: the season opener back in 2014 when he wore a Jordan Melo M10 Opening Night PE while LeBron wore a Nike LeBron 12 Homecoming PE to celebrate his return to Cleveland.

Juan Martinez

From video game journalism to veteran of the sneaker blog era to podcasting about well, everything, Juan is smiling through it all and can't believe this is his life. After recently getting into Formula 1, he now has hot takes about who the greatest driver of all time is. Email: juan@soleretriever.com