LeBron James, Cavs Throttle Melo & The Knicks, 117-88 (Highlights) 2
Oct 25, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) dunks in the first half against the New York Knicks at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

LeBron’ triple-double and Kyrie’s 29 led the Cleveland Cavaliers to the dominating 117-88 victory over the New York Knicks on opening night.

  • New York Knicks 88 (0-1)
  • Cleveland Cavaliers 117 (1-0)
  • NBA, Final, Box Score
  • Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH
This wasn’t the way Jeff Hornacek wanted to start the season. That’s for sure. 

It’d be one thing if the New York Knicks lost a hard fought game. It’d be understandable considering the circumstances: opening-night ring ceremony in Cleveland, Derrick Rose‘s absence, etc.

The problem is LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and the rest of the Cavaliers absolutely throttled the Knickerbockers.

LeBron was dominant. He finished with a triple-double at 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 14 ridiculous dimes. Irving dropped a game-high 29 on 12-of-22 from the floor that included four 3-pointers.

It wasn’t all bad for New York. D-Rose looked solid in finishing with 17. Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with 19.

Check below for all the live in-game highlights:

4th-Quarter:

Ron Baker finally sees his first NBA action and nails a nice mid-range runner. Kuzminskas also looks solid in garbage time.

James exits the game with 6:44 remaining and his team up 24. He finished with a triple-double: 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 14 assists.

Nearing the midway point of the final period, the Cavs hold a 20 point lead. Ivring leads all scorers with 29 points on 12-of-22 from the floor including four threes.

Two minutes into the fourth quarter and the Knicks have cut the lead to 13 points. Mindaugas Kuzminskas and Sasha Vujacic have seen their first action of the night. Kuz drilled a wide-open top of the arc three.

3rd-Quarter (82-64):

The Cavs continue to pour it on. Kyrie Irving has gone off. The Knicks simply can’t contain him:

Iman Shumpert injured. Looks to be his head as he heads into the locker room:

Cavs now up 19 points with 3:47 remaining.

One of the bright spots of the quarter was Courtney Lee showing why his defense is stellar:

With 6:21 to go, Cleveland enjoys a 10-point lead.

The third quarter begins with the Knicks flat and the Cavs firing on all cylinders. Harnacek needs a timeout after LeBron throws down consecutive one-handed dunks. The man has at least five dunks in the game up to this point. His second to last was a thunderous slam that saw Melo provided zero effort. Cavs are up nine.

https://twitter.com/nyknicks/status/791076235950616580?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

2nd-Quarter (48-45):

The Knicks end the quarter with a 15-2 run after trailing by as many as 11.

D-Rose has been extremely impressive. He’s cut down the lane at least five times on the night, the latest coming with under two minutes left to cut the Cavs lead to within two at 46-44.

With four and change to go, the Knicks have tied the game at 41 on a D-Rose layup.

Around the five minute mark, the Knicks have cut the lead to two points. Justin Holiday has nailed two threes while KP had this beauty of a catch and shoot:

The Cavs are pulling away from the Knicks a bit. With eight and change remaining, they now hold a 10-point lead after LeBron one-hands the ball on a fastbreak. James now has 10 points to go along with an absurd six rebounds and five pretty dimes.

1st-Quarter (Cavs 28, Knicks 18):

First quarter ends with a score of Cavs 28, Knicks 18. Melo led all scorers with 11.

Jeff Hornacek has gotten 10 players into the game by first quarter’s end. On the floor to end the first 12-minutes were Jennings, O’Quinn, Justin Holiday, Willy Hernangomez, and Lance Thomas. (Courtney Lee was reinserted in final nine seconds for defensive purposes.)

Kyle O’Quinn finds Melo with the alley-oop after the latter spun off Richard Jefferson in the low post:

The first sub of the season goes to Brandon Jennings who checked out D-Rose. Tyronn Lue countered with Iman Shumpert in for J.R. Smith. Melo has started 5-for-7 from the floor with a little over three minutes remaining in the first. He’s poured in the last 12 points for New York. Cavs lead 19-17 with 2:43 to go in the first frame.

Derrick Rose took the Knicks opening set and drove for the first two points of the season:

Opening Ceremony:

It was an opening ceremony fit for a king. Everything from owner Dan Gilbert speaking to LeBron James thanking the fans and throwing a shout out to the Cleveland Indians was heard. Queen’s “We are the Champions” was heard over and over again.

The Knicks decided to not watch the ceremony. Instead, they hung back in the locker room.

  • New York Knicks (0-0)
  • Cleveland Cavaliers (0-0)
  • NBA, Oct. 25, 2016, TNT
  • Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH

It’s finally here. The 2016-17 NBA season is finally and officially upon us.

With it comes the New York Knicks season opener. With that comes a trip to Cleveland to take on LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and the rest of the NBA champion Cavaliers.

James and the boys will be receiving their championship rings while raising the title banner. Hopefully, Melo, KP, and the Knickerbockers will soak it all in to increase that thirst for success this spring.

With J.R. Smith signed and Derrick Rose’s trial over, the standard starting fives should see the floor first.

 NEXT: Knicks Season Preview 

 

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Robby Sabo
https://jetsxfactor.com
Robby Sabo is a co-founder, CEO and credentialed New York Jets content creator for Jets X-Factor - Jet X, which includes Sabo's Sessions (in-depth film breakdowns) and Sabo with the Jets. Host: Underdog Jets Podcast with Wayne Chrebet and Sabo Radio. Member: Pro Football Writers of America. Coach: Port Jervis (NY) High School. Washed up strong safety and 400M runner. SEO: XL Media. Founder: Elite Sports NY - ESNY (Sold in 2020). SEO: XL Media. Email: robby.sabo[at]jetsxfactor.com

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