The Knicks looked far from the lower seed in their Game 1 win over the Cavaliers.

Like they were throughout their matchups with Cleveland this season, the Knicks were firmly a cut above. And unless the Cavaliers change something, it only figures to continue when the teams resume their series with Game 2 Tuesday night.

Now having seen each other five times this season — the Knicks went 3-1 during the regular season, including wins in the final three meetings — a few areas where the Knicks have a distinct advantage have become glaring.

Although they were largely considered the “best of the rest” as the No. 4 seed with a sizable gap behind the top three seeds in the Eastern Conference (Bucks, Celtics, 76ers), the Cavaliers have several flaws that the Knicks have been able to exploit.

It could make the difference.

Bench scoring

The Knicks’ bench has outscored Cleveland’s in all four wins this season, and the gap was particularly stark in Game 1.

Led by Josh Hart’s 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting, Knicks bench players owned a 37-14 scoring advantage over Cleveland’s reserves. Nobody on the Cavaliers’ bench had more than Cedi Osman’s nine points.

That was despite Immanuel Quickley, who is a finalist for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award, uncharacteristically struggling with just three points and no made field goals.

A major consideration: Hart’s availability for Game 2 is in question after he was listed as “doubtful” due to a sprained ankle.

In Game 1, all four bench players who saw the court for the Knicks had a positive plus-minus, and three of the four Cavaliers’ reserves in play had a negative plus-minus.

In their three regular-season wins over Cleveland, the Knicks’ bench outscored the Cavaliers’ 27-22, 27-12 and 32-23, respectively.

Bench scoring wasn’t a strength for either team during the regular season — the Knicks ranked 26th and the Cavaliers ranked 28th in that department.

But head-to-head, it’s become a major mismatch, and one that, as the series goes on, could tax Cleveland’s starters, four of whom logged 38 minutes or more Saturday.

Second-chance points

The Knicks feasted on the glass in Game 1.

Finishing the regular season ranked third in the NBA in offensive rebounds, the Knicks have leveraged one of their biggest strengths against Cleveland.

In Game 1, the Knicks had 17 offensive rebounds to the Cavaliers’ 11. Mitchell Robinson and Hart led the way with five apiece.

Robinson’s 4.5 offensive boards per game led the NBA during the regular season, and Hart’s 1.9 was tied for the most among players listed as guards.

The Knicks also led in offensive rebounds in two of their three regular-season wins over the Cavs, and the trend was most glaring in the final regular-season matchup, when the Knicks owned a 16-3 advantage on the offensive glass.

Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen was notably absent from that clash. His presence in Game 1, Cleveland had hoped, would help flip that mark.

Based on their post-game comments, finishing defensive possessions with rebounds will be a point of emphasis going forward for the Cavaliers.

Physicality

Put bluntly, the Knicks out-muscled the Cavaliers in Game 1.

Although they’re undeniably talented, Cleveland’s frontcourt of Allen, Evan Mobley and Isaac Okoro has shown it can be pushed around. With Dean Wade the only big man on the bench who saw Game 1 minutes, the Cavaliers don’t have many alternatives either.

Robinson, Julius Randle and RJ Barrett — along with Isaiah Hartenstein and Obi Toppin off the bench — took advantage, helping the Knicks outscore the Cavaliers 44-40 in the paint.

Mobley and Allen are two of the NBA’s better big men and possess elite length that should slow down the Knicks’ paint dominance.

To flip the series around, the Cavaliers’ hopes likely hinge on those two rising to the occasion.

Offensive versatility

Although both teams struggled on offense in Game 1, the Knicks’ more well-rounded attack provided an edge.

The Knicks can score in a multitude of ways.

Randle and Jalen Brunson enjoy attacking the rim and scoring in the midrange, in addition to thriving from behind the arc and from the free-throw line. Hart, when healthy, plays bigger than his 6-foot-4 frame, scoring in the paint as well as being a threat from distance.

Even if Hart needs to sit, head coach Tom Thibodeau has a raft of playmakers — Brunson, Quickley, Barrett, Randle and Quentin Grimes — he trusts with ball-handling responsibilities, allowing the Knicks to attack the defense in a multitude of ways.

On the other hand, the Cavaliers often become overly reliant on pick-and-rolls with Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland. The pair has the lion’s share of ball-handling responsibilities, which makes the Cavaliers offense exceedingly predictable.

It’s led to a lack of floor-spacing for Cleveland as well, allowing the Knicks’ defense to sag off the Cavaliers big men and help on Mitchell and Garland.

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Brett Baty made his highly anticipated 2023 debut with the Mets by going 1-for-4 with an RBI single in Monday night’s seesaw 8-6 win over the Dodgers in Los Angeles.

Now come the bigger questions that will be answered by Baty’s performance: Does the call-up represent desperation from the Mets, whose offense has lagged a bit during what’s now an 11-6 start?

An ambition to win now despite developmental ramifications? Or is Baty simply ready to provide an upgrade at third base?

“He’s ready to play in the big leagues,” a major league talent evaluator who watched Baty last week at Syracuse told The Post’s Mike Puma. “It looks like he’s ready to hit, and he’s much stronger than last season and looks much more sure of himself in the batter’s box.”

Just a few weeks ago, the Mets demoted Baty to Triple-A Syracuse to start the season despite a strong spring training, saying they wanted Baty to spend more time rounding out his game, specifically his defense at third base.

Then he raked at Triple-A with a .400/.400/.886 slash line and 1.386 OPS along with five homers and 15 RBIs in nine games.

Meanwhile, regular third baseman Eduardo Escobar hit just .125/.229/.402 and became a black hole in the Mets lineup.

Even Mets decision-makers think Baty might develop better with more time at Triple-A, it’s hard to fathom he’ll produce worse results than Escobar in the majors (during an 11-game MLB stint last season before injuring his thumb, Baty slashed a measly .184/.244/.342).

Baty likely is the organization’s best option at third base at the moment and probably gives them their best chance to win. Despite the potential for his development to be stunted, winning has taken precedence.

The cautionary version of timing the jump from the minor leagues to the major league level might be across the clubhouse: Already, it seems the Mets may have rushed that process for top prospect Francisco Alvarez.

Like Baty, the Mets intended for Alvarez to spend at least the beginning of the season at Triple-A to refine his game and work on certain shortcomings without the pressure of playing for a team with World Series aspirations.

An injury to catcher Omar Narvaez forced them to make the move much earlier than desired, however.

Alvarez has looked overmatched at the plate with one hit through 15 at-bats along with six strikeouts. Alvarez also has allowed 13 runners to steal on him in just 37 innings without throwing out anyone.

Baty’s arrival has the chance to represent another alternative: a silver lining from the offseason’s Carlos Correa saga.

Before backing out, the Mets had agreed to terms with Correa to play third base and provide the lineup “one more thing,” as owner Steve Cohen told The Post’s Jon Heyman the team needed.

Whether Cohen’s assessment was correct — the Mets rank 16th in the majors in OPS in the early stages — and whether Correa would have been the answer (he’s off to a slow Twins start with a .208/.269/.396 slash line) remains to be seen.

But if Baty can prove he can be that “one more thing” at a fraction of the cost, he can help the Mets forget about any Correa regret in a hurry.

The Rangers and Devils are set to begin their local showdown in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Tuesday night.

An upstart side ahead of schedule, the No. 2-seeded Devils own home ice in the series, and will open up at the Prudential Center as a result.

The Rangers, one year removed from a conference finals run and 29 years removed from their last championship, are the No. 3 seed.

The Devils won three of the four matchups between the two teams in the regular season, with the Rangers taking an overtime win in the other.

The Islanders kicked off their playoff journey Monday night, falling to the Hurricanes, 2-1.

The first offseason workout programs began Monday for NFL teams, but some of the league’s top stars were absent.

Here’s a look at who was absent from the voluntary workouts and where they stand in negotiations with their teams.

Saquon Barkley, Giants: The Giants tagged Barkley, but the star running back has not yet signed the tender, making him ineligible for the workouts. Seeking a long-term deal, the Giants previously offered him a deal that would pay him around $12.5 million per year, but Barkley is seeking a higher figure.

Dexter Lawrence, Giants: A bit of a surprise not showing up, Lawrence seeks compensation on par with other elite defensive tackles — a market that exploded this offseason. He’s currently set to play on the fifth-year option if no deal is found, which would pay him $10.7 million.

According to The Post’s Paul Schwartz, Lawrence wants a contract similar to, or exceeding, the ones Jeffery Simmons ($23.5 million per year) and Daron Payne ($22.5 million per year) got from the Titans and Commanders, respectively.

Quinnen Williams, Jets: He previously said he’d skip workouts if he didn’t have a long-term deal, so this didn’t come as a major surprise. Like Lawrence, Williams wants to follow his counterparts in the exploding defensive-tackle market. And as a more accomplished pass-rusher, Williams likely will seek to top those deals. Without one, he’ll play on the fifth-year option.

Josh Jacobs, Raiders: The NFL’s 2022 rushing leader, like Barkley, has not signed his franchise tag tender and seeks a long-term deal. Amid a dismal running back market, it doesn’t seem likely he’ll get what he desires.

Evan Engram, Jaguars: After a resurgent season in his first year with the Jaguars, the former Giants tight end has not yet signed his franchise tag tender.

Lamar Jackson, Ravens: The story of the NFL offseason, Jackson remains at odds with the Ravens over a long-term deal, particularly regarding the amount of guaranteed money.

On a non-exclusive franchise tag, other teams could sign him to an offer sheet, at which point the Ravens would be able to either match or receive two first-round picks. Including Jackson, four of the five players currently on a franchise tag have not yet signed the tender and subsequently did not show up for the first workouts.

DeAndre Hopkins, Cardinals: Because they have a new head coach, the Cardinals were allowed to start their offseason program earlier, which they did on April 11. Uncertainty surrounds Hopkins, who reportedly wants a trade. He tweeted, then deleted, a post on Sunday saying that he “doesn’t want a raise,” but didn’t exactly quell reports of a trade demand in a subsequent video with the All things Covered Podcast.