CLEVELAND - It was not an understated affair. The rapper Kendrick Lamar performed outside Quicken Loans Arena before the game. Thousands of residents skipped work. Usher sang the national anthem. Fans tossed confetti in the air. Justin Bieber, courtside in a fedora, was booed. So was Spike Lee, among the few in Knicks garb.
And then there was LeBron James, who appeared on the Humongotron - that is what the Cavaliers call their new scoreboard - before the tip in a recorded clip.
'There's no place like home,' James said as the Humongotron spewed flames that licked the rafters.
Cleveland was the center of the basketball universe on Thursday, and the city could retain that title for the foreseeable future. But for one night, at least, the Knicks made clear that they had plans of their own, spoiling the party with a 95-90 victory.
Carmelo Anthony scored 25 points to lead the Knicks (1-1), who shot 53.6 percent from the field. Iman Shumpert and Jason Smith added 12 points apiece.
In his much-celebrated return to the Cavaliers (0-1), James labored for everything he got, which did not turn out to be much. He scored 17 points to go with eight turnovers and shot 5 of 15 from the field. Kyrie Irving scored 22 points, and Kevin Love had 19 in his debut with the Cavaliers.
James was defended for long stretches by Travis Wear, an undrafted forward who had barely made the Knicks' roster. It required that kind of effort from the Knicks - unexpected bordering on improbable - to ruin the Cavaliers' season opener.
Nearly every player on the roster got involved as Coach Derek Fisher went with smaller lineups to counter the Cavaliers' quickness and stretch them defensively.
The Knicks managed to hold their composure late, answering every run from the Cavaliers with one of their own. After Irving sliced to the hoop to cut the Knicks' lead to 88-85, J. R. Smith connected on a runner. And seconds after James got loose for a layup, Anthony calmly drilled a baseline jumper.
The lead was 5 with 25 seconds remaining, and the Cavaliers were out of answers.
At the team's morning shootaround, James told reporters that the game would be 'one of the biggest sporting events' ever. It was assumed that the Knicks, who happened to be in town, would have little to do with it.
And for a while, at least, the game had everything to do with James, who was back with the Cavaliers after spending the past four seasons with the Miami Heat. At around noon, workers unveiled a giant Nike poster featuring James on the side of a downtown building. Fans who arrived at the arena received commemorative packets of talcum powder - a homage to James's pregame ritual of forming a white cloud of the stuff by clapping his hands near midcourt.
Given the hysteria and their own problems in a humiliating 104-80 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, the Knicks were expected to be treated like piñatas. Before the game, Fisher felt obligated to note that the game would still be five-on-five. 'We're not playing against everybody in Northeast Ohio,' he said. It only felt that way.
Halftime of a tightly contested game came fraught with symbolism when a large chunk of the Humongotron malfunctioned and went dark. It remained that way as the Knicks found some separation behind Anthony and Pablo Prigioni, who connected on back-to-back 3-pointers for a 59-55 lead.
Amar'e Stoudemire also got involved, shoveling a beautiful pass to Anthony for a dunk, which extended the lead to 7. The Cavaliers called a timeout.
The Knicks' effort was especially impressive given that they were again without Jose Calderon, who is, in theory, their starting point guard. After Calderon missed Wednesday's game, the Knicks announced Thursday that he had a strained right calf that would keep him out of the lineup for two to three weeks.
'We're more disappointed for Jose than ourselves in terms of its impact on our team,' Fisher said. 'We would love to have him. He's been a fantastic presence, not just with his steady poise and composure, but he's grasped what we're doing offensively really well.'
In Calderon's absence, Shane Larkin got his second start. He looked comfortable on the big stage, collecting 9 points, 5 assists and 5 steals.
As much as James's life has changed in recent months - his address, his employer, his teammates, his popularity (which has somehow only grown) - he will still feel the same pressures. He is the best player in the world. The Cavaliers will be expected to vie for championships, and to win them.
Early in the game, the Cavaliers looked almost too unselfish. A series of passes led to a turnover and an uncontested layup for Anthony. David Blatt, the team's first-year coach and something of a basketball icon in Europe, was aware that chemistry would take some time to build with this team.
'Honestly, I would have liked more practice time,' he said before the game.
Like Blatt, James has predicted that the Cavaliers will have their share of struggles this season. It was inevitable, he said, and he knew it from experience, citing his first year with the Heat, in 2010. James joined Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, and the Heat lost eight of their first 17 games.
Against the Knicks, the Cavaliers had some nice moments early. Dion Waiters and Love drilled consecutive 3-pointers. Irving leaked out for a dunk. And then James got involved, his first field goal coming on a layup after he absorbed a foul from Anthony.
Yet the Knicks, against all odds, were undaunted. The Cavaliers led by 25-18 after the first quarter, but they began to struggle in the second.
James went 1 of 9 from the field in the first half, collecting as many turnovers (4) as points (4). The game was tied, 42-42, at halftime.
Posted by Unknown on Thursday, October 30, 2014 - Rating: 4.5
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