Cavs: 4 stars from 4-game winning streak

Cavs’ Second Star: Ricky Rubio

Four-game totals: 53 points, 29 assists, 12 rebounds, 4 steals, 10-of-16 3-pointers

This is a discussion of the entire four-game win streak, so we should evaluate Ricky Rubio‘s performance in all four games. For the first three games Rubio was steady, averaging over six assists and being a strong net positive despite scoring just 16 totals points.

Then the lid came off, as Rubio erupted for a career-high 37 points against the New York Knicks on Sunday night. He was unstoppable from behind the 3-point arc, hitting his first eight 3-pointers before missing a heat check late. At first the Knicks declined to guard him closely, but after he started hitting they crowded him; this adjustment allowed Rubio and his quick first-step to blow by them, either setting up short-range jumpers or allowing him to hit open teammates around the rim.

Rubio finished with 10 assists, the third time he has hit double-digit assists this season. He was absolutely shredding the Knicks’ defense, and they had no answers. It was an absolutely bonkers shooting night, a career-high in makes and attempts from deep.

His “Game Score” of 33.4 was the sixth-highest in the league this season, but in a fascinating twist every player above him lost the corresponding game. It was the highest of Rubio’s career, and the second-highest of any Cleveland player over the past four seasons, amazingly behind just Tristant Thompson’s insane 35 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks in January of 2020.