East Finals: Can Knicks go into the Cavs' house and steal a game, or maybe even two in Cleveland?

Riding a nine-game winning streak, the Knicks will face the Cavaliers in Cleveland in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, two wins away from their first NBA Finals berth since 1999. But they insist it’s not an easy path to navigate to finish this chase. Here are three things to look  for on Saturday night.

1. Cleveland rocks?

The Cavs have been down before in the postseason, needing seven games to get through each of the first two rounds, and are 6-1 at Rocket Arena in the playoffs.

“I mean, we’re in the same place as last round,” Cleveland’s Evan Mobley said. “So the good thing is we’ve been here before. It’s nothing that we haven't fought through and prevailed. We’ve just got to win these next two at home and keep it moving.”

2. Law of averages

Although the Knicks' defense has been good throughout the first two games and  throughout the postseason, the Cavs have had plenty of open looks, including by players who have been reliable shooters. Sam Merrill shot 42.9% from three-point range against Detroit in the second round but was 0-for-7 in Game 2 and is 3-for-15 through two games — including the potential game-winning shot in Game 1 that got Mike Breen to start to shout “Bang!” before it spun out of the rim. But he hasn’t been the only one. Max Strus, who shot 6-for-8 from outside the arc in Game 5 against Detroit, was 1-for-7 overall and 1-for-4 from three-point range in Game 2 after going 2-for-6, all from beyond the arc, in Game 1.

But the Knicks could point to some players waiting to emerge just as Josh Hart did in Game 2 after struggling in the first game and the first quarter Thursday. Deuce McBride was 2-for-9 overall and 1-for-6 from three-point range in Game 2.

3. Nothing’s free

Mitchell Robinson has been a force defensively and on the boards  in the series  and in his entire career, but his impact has been blunted by his continuing struggles at the free-throw line. Robinson was 2-for-8 in Game 1 and 0-for-4 in Game 2. In the first game, Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson employed the strategy of hacking him to get the Knicks out of their offense, but oddly, the only intentional grabbing of him came before the Cavs were over the limit in Game 2. Mike Brown then pulled him out of the game before the Cavs got the chance to send him to the line.

By Steve Popper

steve.popper@newsday.com@StevePopper

Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.