King James Gospel
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Cavaliers vs Knicks: 3 Takeaways From Win

By Nathen Vieira

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The Cavaliers (19-7) have had at least one player out with an injury every game so far this season, but on Christmas Eve Eve that wasn’t the case. 

For the first time all season head coach David Blatt had the opportunity to play any player on the roster. And during the Cavaliers 91-84 victory over the Knicks (14-16) all but two players got some minutes.

Blatt was able to run a consistent nine-man rotation between the starters and their four main bench contributors: Iman Shumpert (8pts 4rebs 2blks 1stl),  Matthew Dellavedova (7pts, 7asts), Tristan Thompson (10pts 14rebs) and Mo Williams (4pts 4asts).  Veterans James Jones and Richard Jefferson also got some playing time but only saw about four minutes each.

The Cavs bench outscored the Knicks bench 29-19 and made play after play when it mattered. Numerous times throughout the game Shumpert made a defense stop whether it was completing one of his signature swipes at the ball while someone goes up for a layup or forcing Arron Afflalo to pickup his dribble and call timeout late in the fourth.

LeBron James once again led another fourth quarter push to get the Cavaliers past the Knicks. James scored nine of his game high 24 points, including this ferocious slam over Kristaps Porzingis…

James would also contribute nine assists and five rebounds for the Cavaliers.

Kevin Love also had another great game for the wine and gold, scoring 23 points on 8-17 shooting to go along with 13 rebounds. It was said by James that Love would be a focal point of the Cavaliers offense and that statement has continued to be true. Love has been getting a steady amount of post touches, especially coming off pick-n-roll switches, and open 3’s. During the first quarter, Love got involved early scoring six of the Cavaliers’ first eight points.

This game was much tougher than it should have been, especially since the Knicks were missing Carmelo Anthony, but a win is a win. Here’s some takeaways from the game:

Kyrie Isn’t Completely “Back”…yet:

Kyrie Irving made his season debut against the Philadelphia 76ers on December 20th and looked pretty impressive for someone who hasn’t played in an actual NBA game in more than six months. Irving scored 12 points on 5-12 shooting in 17 minutes and looked like his normal self in that short amount of time he was on the court.

Against the Knicks, Irving looked more like someone who hasn’t played consistently in six months. Irving once again got the start and player about 19 minutes but his game was off. His first field goal of the game came with 9:28 left in the first quarter. He came off of a screen, pulled up and sunk a mid-range jumper right around the free throw line – something we’ve become accustomed to seeing from Irving in the past.

That jump shot would be the last shot he’d hit for the game.

Irving finished his night with 5 points on 1-7 shooting (3-3 FT) and 4 assists.

Being on a minutes restriction has definitely hurt Irving’s production because it doesn’t allow him to get into a rhythm for the game but his poor play shouldn’t be a concern for anyone. Coach Blatt has been vocal about being cautious with Irving so these minute restrictions and poor play are something everyone should have expected.

His minutes have been around the same for his first two games so it’s not crazy to think that he’d play around 20 against the Warriors on Christmas Day.

Then again a revenge game against the Warriors on Christmas may be the perfect gift for Cavaliers’ fans…

Team Defense is Fun:

Anytime you hold a team under 40% shooting you should win. Simple as that. The Cavaliers held the Knicks to 39% shooting and won.

Their team defense was phenomenal, especially in the fourth. They held the Knicks to only 12 points which is extremely impressive no matter the team. If it wasn’t for Aaron Afflalo hitting tough shot after tough shot the Knicks may have only scored six points in the quarter.

That’s how good the Cavaliers played as a unit. Their intensity picked up and swarmed the Knicks anytime the ball crossed half court. Shumpert and Dellavedova were outstanding as the Cavaliers backcourt. Love and Thompson controlled Porzinigis and held him scoreless in the fourth. And of course James was the vocal leader instructing the Cavaliers what to do during each possession.

This defensive performance was by far their best of the season. Look for this type of effort to keep up.

The Offense Once Again Went Cold:

Anytime a team holds you under 40% shooting you should lose. Simple as that. The Knicks held the Cavaliers to 38% shooting and lost because they don’t have James.

If it wasn’t for James’s dominate fourth quarter the Cavaliers could have came out of this game with another L on the record.

After a solid first half the Cavaliers’ offense went ice cold. They had a five point lead at half and allowed the Knicks to tie it up in the third quarter because of poor shooting and a stale offense. There was no movement or flow to their game at all. The Cavs had too much one on one play rather than running an offensive set. When they ran an actual offensive set, they couldn’t hit the shot that came out of it.

This trend is something that has happened too often this season for a team this talented on the offensive end. They build up a decent sized lead and allow the other team back in it because of poor play and what seems like disinterest in the game.

More from King James Gospel

Stat Lines of the Night:
Cavaliers
LeBron James: 24 pts (9-22), 9 rebs, 5 asts, 37 minutes
Kevin Love: 23 pts (8-17), 13 rebs, 34 minutes
Tristan Thompson: 10 pts (2-6) (6-6 FT), 14 rebs, 29 minutes

Knicks:
Kristaps Porzingis: 23 pts (8-18) (4-5 3p), 13 rebs, 38 minutes
Aaron Afflalo: 16 pts (6-17), 5 rebs, 4 asts, 36 minutes

Next Opponent:

As you all know the Cavaliers have a Finals rematch against the Warriors at Oracle Arena on Christmas Day at 5pm ET on ABC. This will be the Cavaliers’ first true test of the season and will be used as a measuring stick to see where they are at.