Enes Kanter has created a reputation for trash talking in the league. He tends to call out players on social media and sometimes picks fights on the basketball court. This season, Kanter’s prime target has been LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

It all started during an early season game in November when the Cavaliers defeated the New York Knicks, 104-101, a comeback victory where James exploded late in the fourth. During this matchup, James got into an altercation with rookie Frank Ntilikina. Kanter came to the rookie’s defense and confronted James.

However, the altercation had more meaning since James dissed the Knicks for choosing Frank Ntilikina over Dennis Smith Jr. during the 2017 NBA draft. All this happened very early in the season, and the Cavaliers and Knicks haven’t faced each other since, until now.

The Knicks and Cavaliers will finish out the season playing the last two games against each other. On Monday, they will be in New York and, on Wednesday, they will be in Cleveland to conclude the regular season. While the Knicks don’t have much to play for, the Cavaliers are still aiming to recapture the third seed. Enes Kanter, however, still remembers the first two games and has been anticipating this battle with Cleveland.

Kanter has been waiting for a rematch with Cleveland

“I’ve been thinking about those two games the whole season,” Kanter told reporters. Unfortunately, Kanter has been battling a back injury over the last week that has now sidelined him for four consecutive games.

Kanter is determined to play if his back feels healthy and has been aiming to play before the end of the regular season.

After what happened in early November, Kanter has used social media to mock James and the Cavaliers, calling LeBron a “queen” and “princess.”

The Knicks haven’t been relevant since the last time these two teams met, as they are headed for the lottery once again. At the time, they had a healthy Kristaps Porzingis and were far more competitive.

But with what happened between Kanter, James, and Ntilikina, you can expect the Knicks and the home crowd to be fired up on Monday even though the game has no meaning. You could definitely expect James to be booed throughout the contest.

What it means for the Cavaliers

The Cavaliers forfeited the third seed to the Sixers on Friday after losing to them, so they must win these last two games and hope Philadelphia loses one game before the season ends. The Sixers have a road game in Atlanta and a home game against the Bucks remaining, which are both winnable games. Therefore, the Cavaliers cannot afford to have a hiccup against the Knicks if they want the third seed.
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