After a three-month offseason, the NBA is back in full swing. The season opener on Tuesday was between the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder and the Kevin Durant-led Houston Rockets.

In the Eastern Conference, the New York Knicks will return to Madison Square Garden on Wednesday to face off against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Both teams finished in the conference's top three and are projected to live up to those rankings this season. With the Knicks starting lineup led by Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges, going against the likes of Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, there’s a reason why this can easily be one of the best games of opening week.

Furthermore, there is a lot at stake for New York. The team hasn’t won its season opener since 2021-22, losing once to the Memphis Grizzlies and twice to the Boston Celtics. Injuries have also plagued their roster. Guard Josh Hart and center Mitchell Robinson have both been ruled out. Towns is also listed as questionable due to a right quad strain. With the odds stacked against the Knicks, you’d think I’d pick the Cavaliers to win, but I have faith New York will leave their season opener victorious. Therefore, I think the Knicks will start their season in the win column for the first time in four years.

Knicks have a Revamped, High Power Offense

When the Knicks fired former head coach Tom Thibodeau in early June, many fans wondered who would become their next head coach. Fast-forward to the signing of two-time NBA Coach of the Year Mike Brown. Brown was responsible for helping the Sacramento Kings snap their 16-season playoff drought, but lost his job in December last year.

Under Thibodeau’s leadership, the Knicks reached their first Eastern Conference Finals in 25 seasons but couldn’t reach the NBA Finals. Their offense lacked consistent 3-point shooting, halting them from mounting significant leads. So when Brown arrived in New York, he and the president of basketball operations, Leon Rose, had their work cut out for them.

In the offseason, they signed Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele, proven role players who can provide extra scoring off the bench. The Knicks also re-signed veteran guard Landry Shamet for a similar purpose. The new additions are on top of their starting lineup, led by Brunson and Towns. If this new-look, loaded offense can perform up to its potential against Cleveland, the Knicks can cruise to victory. They did in the preseason, going 4-1.

Brunson scored in the double digits during three of those triumphs. His best performance came in the preseason finale against the Charlotte Hornets, where he put up 31 points, six assists, and seven rebounds. Yabusele scored 11 points, and Clarkson scored 12 that night. Towns didn’t play against Charlotte but still logged 27 total preseason points. As a team, the Knicks shot 44.6 % from the field and 37.5 % from 3-point range.

Cavaliers Rank 12th in Scoring Defense

The Cavaliers are coming off one of their best seasons in recent memory. Last year, Cleveland finished with the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference at 64-18. Despite the impressive record, they fell to the Indiana Pacers in five games during the playoffs.

Cleveland has a similar problem with the Knicks: its defense has trouble stopping high-level scoring. The Cavaliers' scoring defense last season ranked 12th in the league, three spots behind the Knicks at ninth. The Cavaliers averaged 112.4 points per game and allowed 109 points per 100 possessions. Their 3-point defense ranks 13th in the NBA, 13 spots ahead of New York's. If the Knicks' offense can consistently get going from long range, the Cavaliers can be on the receiving end of a loss.

Injuries Can Hold Back the Knicks

Even though I’m a firm believer that the Knicks will defeat the Cavaliers, the number of injuries the team has accumulated gives me second thoughts. Hart will be out with lumbar spasms, which have been present since the preseason opener against the Philadelphia 76ers. Robinson is sidelined with a left ankle injury, and Towns might be out with a right quad strain.

That’s not good luck for a team that relies on rebounding, especially since all three are key contributors to that statistic. Towns and Robinson are also good at scoring, meaning more pressure will fall on Brunson and Bridges’ shoulders.

But the injury report hasn’t scared me enough from not choosing the Knicks over the Cavaliers in this opening duel. The game starts at 7:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.