ESPN's First Take spent its longest segment of the morning Tuesday on Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers, and the throughline of the debate was the rehabilitation of Cleveland's frontcourt, by way of Kendrick Perkins.
For most of the regular season, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley were defined more by what they were not than what they were. Perkins admitted on air the labels he and others had used.
"They were being called the Hostess Cupcakes. People were saying they were creamy in the middle. Twinkies, honey buns, whatever you want to call it, that's what they were at some point in time," Perkins said. "He ain't any of that. They have changed the narrative on that."
Perkins reserved his strongest line for Mobley, the third-year forward who has emerged as Cleveland's defensive anchor through three playoff rounds. "When you talk about Evan Mobley, listen, Evan Mobley I know people may say, 'Oh, Perk is crazy.' No, I'm not crazy. He can have a same not on the same level, just a smaller level impact defensively that Victor Wembanyama has. That's how versatile Evan Mobley is."
On Allen, Perkins offered a more emotional reading. "Jarrett Allen has finally found that I don't know who gave him heart over the off-season or through this postseason, but his level of physicality has picked up."
That physicality, Perkins argued, is precisely why the Knicks should not be in a hurry to write the series off as a coronation. Cleveland eliminated Detroit by 31 in Game 7 the third-largest road Game 7 win in NBA playoff history, behind only the 1948 Warriors and 2022 Mavericks. Donovan Mitchell, in his first conference finals appearance in nine NBA seasons, was the conductor.
Stephen A. Smith and Jay Williams were also on the panel and pushed back on the idea that the Knicks would walk through this round.
"The Cleveland Cavaliers are a different beast, and we know that they have the talent to win this series," Smith said. "I believe this is going a minimum of six games. I wouldn't surprise me if it takes seven for the New York Knicks to win at the Garden, but I'm picking the Knicks to win this series."
The statistical hook Smith leaned on: Mitchell, a New York native, averages nearly 27 points per game at Madison Square Garden across his career. Smith also pointed to Jalen Brunson's pedestrian shooting splits against the Cavs this season 34% from the field, 36% from three across three regular-season meetings as evidence the matchup is not a simple read.
Jay Williams hinted at the schematic puzzle Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson will face if he tries to keep two bigs on the floor against New York's spacing.
"He's going to have to make a business decision whether or not because he's going to have to go small," Williams said. "Evan Mobley is either going to go or Jarrett Allen is going to be on the floor. They're going to have to stagger those minutes because they can't have two bigs on the floor."
Williams pointed out that against Detroit, Allen often left Pseudo Thompson alone to protect the paint, a luxury he will not have when Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby are spotting up. "You can't do that to the Knicks. I believe they're the best three-point shooting team or one of the best in the postseason. They will make you pay."
The consensus from the First Take desk: pick the Knicks to win, but not lightly, and not quickly. Whether Allen and Mobley have actually changed the narrative or simply borrowed a postseason that ends in the Garden in seven is the question Cleveland will need a Game 1 answer for.
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*Originally published on [NBA News Global](https://nbanews.global/article/perkins-cavs-bigs-changed-narrative-stephen-a-knicks-seven-ecf-may-2026). Visit for full coverage.*
