The Eastern Conference Finals shifts to Cleveland for the first time on Saturday night, and the narrative could not be more compelling heading into Game 3. The Knicks hold a commanding 2-0 series lead after winning both games at Madison Square Garden, with Jalen Brunson scoring 38 in Game 1 and leading another stunning second-half rally in Game 2. The New York Knicks are slight 2.5-point underdogs for Game 3 against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Saturday. Now the series moves to a building where Cleveland has been virtually unstoppable all postseason. Here is everything you need to know before you bet.

The contrast in road-versus-home performance is the defining betting narrative of the Cavs' postseason. The Cleveland Cavaliers are 6-1 at home this postseason but a dreadful 1-5 on the road. The Cavaliers covered the spread in only one of six road games, 16.7%, representing a catastrophic rate for bettors. That number is not a coincidence. Cleveland is a completely different team at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Their defensive intensity, crowd-driven energy, and Donovan Mitchell's attacking instincts all elevate in familiar surroundings.

The Knicks, meanwhile, have been the polar opposite. NYK has home-court advantage and is 5-1 at home in the playoffs but hasn't rated out quite as well on the road.

The Knicks shot 52% from the field while holding the Cavaliers to 39% in Game 2. New York dished out 32 assists and scored 18 more points in the paint. Cleveland had home court advantage in the palm of its hands on Tuesday, up 22 points in the fourth quarter. The defense was playing great, but New York made an adjustment to turn up the dial on the Brunson Burner and escaped with a 2-0 series lead.

That 22-point fourth-quarter collapse is a scar that the Cavaliers will carry into Game 3. These situations usually break down in two ways in NBA playoff history: either the team that collapsed uses the collapse as fuel for a response, or the psychological damage carries over throughout the series. I think the Cavs will use it as fuel today.

The Cavaliers are 33-47-2 against the spread this season. The Knicks are 42-39-1. When playing at home, Cleveland has a better record against the spread at 17-23-1 compared to its ATS record in away games at 16-24-1. In games this season when favored by 2.5 points or more, the Cavaliers have a 23-37-2 record against the spread. The Knicks have a 4-5 record against the spread in games they were an underdog by 2.5 points or more.

The 2.5-point number is low for a team that has been as good at home as the Cavs have been this postseason. There is also the desperation narrative as Cleveland simply can't afford to fall into an 0-3 hole.

In this specific series, Mitchell's numbers have been decent -- 29 points in Game 1 and 26 in Game 2 -- but his fourth-quarter performance in both Knicksreflected a team that ran out of answers in the clutch. At home, with the energy of Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse driving him from the opening tip, Mitchell's attacking game can reach a different gear.

Mitchell was excellent in the final quarter of the team's two home wins over Detroit in the second round. Game 3 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse can unlock the final-quarter version of Mitchell the series has not yet seen.

The Cavaliers' three-headed supporting cast of Harden, Mobley, and Allen gives them a different look when all three are operating in sync at home, where Allen's above-the-rim presence and Mobley's switchability create problems that the Knicks' half-court offense cannot easily solve.

Against the spread, New York has been better at home at 27-13 than away at 15-26-1. That 15-26-1 road ATS record is the most important number in this entire preview. The Knicks are not a good road ATS team, and they are now going to one of the most hostile road environments in the Eastern Conference, against a team that has been great at home this postseason, down 0-2 and absolutely desperate.

Based on Cleveland's home dominance, Mitchell's attacking profile at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, and the Knicks' road ATS limitations: