Cavs vs. Knicks things to watch: Road test, Jarrett Allen-Julius Randle clash, Danny Green

The Cavaliers stole momentum in their best-of-seven NBA playoff series with a Game 2 thrashing of the New York Knicks, but now Cleveland will be tested by the rigors of the road.

With the first-round series tied 1-1 after two clashes at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, the Cavs and Knicks will meet for Game 3 at 8:30 p.m. Friday at Madison Square Garden.

“We have to continue to replicate what we've been doing, especially when we go over to New York 'cause it's going to be crazy,” Cavs All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell said. “It's going to be loud. It's going to be nobody cheering for us. So we've got to understand that it's going to be war.”

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It's worth noting the Cavs' 51-31 regular-season record was the combination of them going 31-10 at home and 20-21 on the road. The Knicks were 47-35, including 23-18 at home and 24-17 on the road.

“Nobody in New York likes us right now, so it's all on us,” Cavs point guard Darius Garland said. “We have to be bought in, and we have to be together.

“We're built for it. We've been battling with adversity all year. This team is ready for a challenge.”

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Will Game 3 be even more chippy after Jarrett Allen's hard foul on Julius Randle?

With 2:22 left in the fourth quarter of Tuesday night's 107-90 Cavs win, center Jarrett Allen contested a would-be dunk by Knicks All-Star power forward Julius Randle, who crashed to the floor, rose slowly and then directed words toward Allen.

Allen was called for a flagrant foul after a review. Randle appeared to hurt his back but said after the game he was fine.

“There was nothing dirty about the play. It wasn't a flagrant foul,” Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said, defending Allen. “He contested a shot at the rim. It's that simple.”

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Randle's take?

“I thought it was a little unnecessary,” Randle said. “I understand like playoff basketball. You don't give up on plays, and I respect that. I'm somebody who plays hard. I respect that.

“But typically when you make those kind of plays, you run across their body, not through them. But it' fine. It's irrelevant. We get to go back to the Garden, and we'll see them there.”

Whether the Knicks have some extra physicality reserved for Allen will be worth monitoring.

Will Danny Green be able to build on his opportunity off the Cavs' bench?

After signing with the Cavs in February and coming off a serious knee injury suffered last year, three-time NBA champion Danny Green appeared in just eight regular-season games with Cleveland and sat out Game 1, a 101-97 Knicks win.

In Game 2, though, he played 20 minutes off the bench because Bickerstaff thought Green's presence as a respected outside shooter would draw a Knicks defender out of the paint and thereby create space. Green shot twice, both from 3-point range, and made one.

“I haven't played some intense basketball in a while, but once I got my feet under me, I started getting used to it, and it was fun,” Green said. “I had a lot of fun competing and hopefully it builds from there.”

Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavs vs Knicks things to watch in Game 3 of NBA playoffs