Feb 22, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) fouls New York Knicks guard Jose Calderon (3) during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. Cleveland Cavaliers won 101-83. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
The New York Knicks will have yet another tall task ahead of them tonight, as they will be traveling to take on LeBron James and the defending Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers. The Knicks were able to get a big upset victory over the Cavaliers in the first week of last season; will they be able to pull off another upset tonight?
These are two totally different teams that we saw on that night. Carmelo Anthony is the only player for the Knicks who appeared in the game last season that will be playing in it this time around; all 11 other players are elsewhere this season, which speaks volumes to the overhaul the Knicks went through since the beginning of the 2014-15 season.
Things will look a little different for the Cavaliers as well, as only five of their nine players will be appearing in the game; James, Kevin Love, Anderson Varejao, Tristan Thompson and Matthew Dellavedova. One big name you see missing from that list is All-Star Kyrie Irving. Irving injured his knee in the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors, and will not be on the court for some time.
Two other names that are absent from the Cavaliers side are familiar faces in Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith. Shumpert is recovering from ankle surgery he underwent just prior to the regular season starting, while Smith is battling a right knee injury. He will miss at least the next two games, as an MRI showed a bruise to the knee and quad tendonitis.
The Cavaliers are far from a healthy team right now, so they are ripe for the picking for an upset. Can the Knicks pull off a surprising victory in their first visit to Cleveland for the second consecutive seasons?
Check out our keys to the game for the Knicks if they are to defeat the Cavaliers and continue a good start to a very difficult stretch of their schedule at the beginning of the season.
Next: Matchup Of The Game