Cavs: One stud and one dud from their win over the Knicks

Cavs stud: Ricky Rubio

A career 32.6 percent three-point shooter, Rubio’s shot has been on this season and it was unstoppable last night. Ricky had a career-high 37 points off the bench, shooting an absurd 8-of-9 from three. His shooting can be looked at deeper seeing as his first miss from beyond the arc didn’t come until the fourth quarter when the game was out of reach.

Rubio also had 10 assists to go with his career night, further showing his ability to keep the game at his pace. This is something that a young team like the Cavaliers needed as it helps to take the offensive burden off Darius Garland and Sexton.

Sexton’s injury paved the way for Rubio’s eruption as he took on the initiative to be the go-to guy. In the second half alone, Rubio had 26 points and played 17 of the 24 minutes. Not once did he show a sign of fatigue and when the Knicks would make any type of run, he was the one to continuously silence the Madison Square Garden crowd.

Looking at the fourth quarter, it was mainly Rubio making things happen, as you would expect. He scored or assisted on 26 of the team’s 37 fourth quarter points as the gravity he pulled as a shot-maker in this game helped open up the offense for others.

Rubio will continue to have a positive impact on the team, to echo our own Zachary Shafron’s sentiment from how he emphasized that Rubio would be a steadying presence. His play will be important for the team to remain competitive and though he may not have another game of this caliber, I expect him to have many more stud performances.