Cavs Vs Knicks: Cavs Squeak Out One ‘Mo’ Win

The ball is tipped, the crowd is roaring, J.R. Smith rolls around a screen and knocks down a three. Fifteen seconds later he cashes in a second jumper from beyond the arc. A great start to the Cleveland Cavaliers versus the New York Knicks.

Two minutes later Kevin Love drains another three, and the Cavs are off to a hot start at Madison Square Garden. 22 minutes later and 22 Carmelo Anthony points later, Cleveland is down by 7 points at the half, and down by 8 midway through the fourth. Mo Williams puts up a stunning display in the fourth, and with LeBron’s help the Cavs leave New York with a victory.

How in the world did the Cavs come up with a win on the road? Here are three things to make sense of tonight’s Cavs Vs Knicks in the Garden:

Cleveland finds ways to win

The Cavs were outplayed after the 1st quarter, and didn’t turn it on until the last 10 minutes of the game. Cleveland played stifling defense and did some scoring in the 4th to edge the Knicks, in a game that was much closer than the scoreboard showed.

The Cavaliers beat the Knicks 90-84 to win their eighth in a row and prove that they could steal a big road win. The Cavs got outplayed for at least 30 minutes of the 48 minute game, but it was go-time in the 4th quarter, and the Wine & Gold turned on the pressure.

LBJ poured in 31 points while Mo Williams added 20 to escape with a “W” from the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. LeBron played great defense in the 4th to hold Carmelo to 1-6 shooting in the quarter. The rest of the Knicks were held to a sparse 12 points in the final period.

LeBron’s shooting was bad, really bad

LeBron James scored 31 points from the floor, but had just 8 points outside the paint.

Furthermore, the King shot 7-10 from the free throw line, which is much better than his current shooting form but not star level.

That free throw shooting mark is the worst in LeBron’s career, in fact, the worst he has ever shot from the stripe. The closest he has ever come to this kind of sub-par shooting was 69% from 06-07.

Free throws continue to be a weakness in LeBron’s game, but so does the three ball. This season LeBron is shooting a measly 20% from the three point line, a number that makes Lance Stephenson‘s outside shot look good (Lance has shot 29% from three in his career).

LeBron needs to turn this funk around before the playoffs. The good news? He has 70 more games to do so.

Mo Williams was a great addition

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After the Warriors went small against Cleveland, and bested the Cavs in 6 games in the Finals last year, Dan Gilbert, David Griffin and David Blatt were looking for ways to allow the Cavaliers to play small like their western rivals.

The Wine and Gold also needed someone to fill the role of starting point guard while Kyrie Irving sits the first few months of the season with a knee injury. Williams was picked up by Cleveland in the offseason, and boy has he come to play.

In the first 9 games, Williams is averaging 19 points and 5 assists and is efficient with just two turnovers. Williams has been the spark Cleveland needs off the bench, and will continue to do so if he can remain healthy.

Nov 13, 2015; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks guard

(3) looks to pass defended by Cleveland Cavaliers guard Mo Williams (52) during the third quarter of an NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

Through the first half of the season, Cleveland looks like a championship contender. Even without two of their best guards, Kyrie Irving, and Iman Shumpert, Cleveland is playing great team basketball with a winning mindset.

Good teams go on the road, and squeak out a win. In a big arena on a Friday night, the Cavs pulled away from Melo and the Knicks late in the 4th quarter. 8-1 on the season, with an 8 game winning streak currently under their belt, the Cavs are looking like a team that could give the Warriors trouble come Finals time.