Empire Writes Back
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Knicks Rain On LeBron’s Cavalier Homecoming, Pull Off Upset Win

By Kenneth Teape

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27. Final. 90. 156. 95

The Knicks had a monster bounce back Thursday night after a poor opening night Wednesday against the Chicago Bulls. Against the Cleveland Cavaliers, on their home opener and LeBron James’ homecoming no less, the Knicks stepped up and pulled off an improbable victory. Check out some takeaways from the Knicks’ first win of the season, and the first in the head coaching career of Derek Fisher.

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Player of the Game: Carmelo Anthony

After a rough opening night, Anthony stepped up big time tonight to help lead his Knicks to a victory tonight. Anthony bounced back strongly offensively, scoring 25 points on 9-17 shooting, making 2-4 from downtown and 5-7 from the charity stripe. More importantly, and what stands out the most, is the six assists Anthony had to lead the team. It is an indication of Anthony trying to buy into Fisher’s offensive system, as he has shown patience on the offensive end, looking for teammates instead of forcing himself into poor scoring situations. He also had the dagger with a jump shot over James that iced the Knicks first victory of the season.

–Derek Fisher’s Rotations

Oct 30, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; New York Knicks forward Quincy Acy (4) celebrates beside Cleveland Cavaliers center Anderson Varejao (17) in the fourth quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Fisher looked like a season veteran on the sidelines tonight. He used the depth that the Knicks have to his advantage, as 10 players played double-digit minutes and 12 got into the game. Most impressive was the feeling he had making substitutions throughout the game.

First off, it begun with the starting lineup. Quincy Acy was inserted for Amar’e Stoudemire, and Acy responded with a big game. He had a monster put-back dunk in the third quarter, and finished with eight points and a team-high 10 rebounds before fouling out after 22 minutes played.

The one coaching decision that stands out is the start of the second half. Fisher saw that Samuel Dalembert was not a good match against the front court that the Cavaliers deploy, and instead went with Jason Smith and Travis Wear. Both responded well, as Ja. Smith scored 12 points on 5-6 shooting from the field, and Wear had the tough assignment of guarding James one-on-one and did not back down from the challenge; James was held to an uncharacteristically poor game, shooting only 5-15 from the field.

It was refreshing to see a coach sub according to the flow of the game, not the set rotation he had planned going into it. Fisher coached an outstanding game, and the players made the decisions he made look good.

One thing that popped out was who he was playing, as Wear logged more minutes tonight than Dalembert and Tim Hardaway Jr., two players that were expected to be a major part of the rotation. Fisher rode the hot hand and it paid dividends.

-Bench Steps Up

In a game that the whole team struggled in against the Bulls, the bench was painstakingly poor. Against the Cavaliers they did a total 180, as the bench was a big factor in the victory tonight.

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Along with Ja. Smith and Wear, J.R. Smith had an awesome game. J.R. has been one of the most outspoken people within in the Knicks organization in reference to the new regime, saying it will take months and a lot of time to get things going. Speaking specifically of himself, he says he needs to do a lot of changing to his own game.

For at least one night, J.R. looked extremely comfortable, as he played under control and with the poise the Knicks have been hoping he would eventually show. Against the Cavaliers J.R. shot an efficient 5-10 from the field, as his shots seemed to be less forced tonight. Along with the points, he added a team-high seven assists and two steals as he often initiated the offense tonight, and did it well.

After being outplayed so badly last night, the Knicks bench outscored the Cavaliers’ bench 41-12.

-Total 180 Across The Board

Oct 30, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) defends New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) in the fourth quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

It was a total team effort tonight from the Knicks, as they looked totally different from the team that took the court Wednesday night in the season opener against the Bulls. Tonight, the offense was clicking as the Knicks shot 53.6 percent from the field overall, knocking down 50 percent of their three pointers.

The defense, in part because of how out of sync the Cavalier were, looked much better as well. The Cavaliers shot 45.7 percent from the field, but never seemed comfortable in what they were doing. Their “Big 3” of James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving didn’t blow the Knicks away tonight, as they were held relatively in check. Only Irving shot over 50 percent, and the three combined for 14 turnovers, eight of which were by LeBron. Shane Larkin, who got his second consecutive start, led the way for the Knicks with five steals and stopped multiple Cavaliers fast breaks with quick hands and heady play.

The Knicks will get back on the court Sunday against the Charlotte Hornets back at Madison Square Garden.

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