Cavaliers 110, Knicks 104: "This is the Garland the Cavs have been waiting for" – Post and toast

The New York Knicks have gone through a lot of changes in recent years. If they were a person, they would be someone stuck in the same bad habits for years. Unhealthy tracks. Self-destructive cycles. But the Knicks took great care of themselves. They hang out with different crowds in different neighborhoods. Trying all kinds of new things. Meeting a lot of people.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been four cards in the hunt for an ace for several years. The world told them to blow it after getting a TKO from the Knicks in 2023. They didn’t. Last year, they won their first playoff series without LeBron since James was eight years old, though it didn’t set the rest of the league on fire. This year they defy the naysayers again, running it back with two non-shooting bigs and two small guards while starting some NPCs at small forward.

So in last night’s third game of the season in New York, it was a little disappointing, but not all that surprising, that the Knicks led for long stretches but stumbled late, outscored by 10 in the fourth thanks to Darius Garland’s 15 in the frame. Quoth Vision TV: “This [is] The Garland the Cavs have been waiting for.

Meanwhile, Jaylen Brunson struggled, missing six of his last nine looks in a decidedly unpleasant streak — unfortunate but concerning. Also light-hearted but undoubtedly intriguing early in the season, hometown hero Karl-Anthony Towns looks right at home in New York’s offense. So far this year, he has taken fewer hits than any other starter. Maybe that’s a good thing if you think these Knicks will eventually become something like the Knickerbockers of the Golden Era, where everyone on the floor can dribble, pass and shoot. So far, Towns has taken twice as many snaps this year as Myles McBride and Cam Payne. Josh Hart took more than twice as many 3-pointers as Cath. that’s not OK Towns took just three shots in the fourth – and yet they were almost half of his total for the night.

In Kenny Atkinson, the Cavs have a different coach than when these teams met in the playoffs. Evan Mobley is still closer to 22 than 24. The Cavs have continuity and 80% of a great starting five. In October, that’s enough to be better than the Knicks, a starting five playing their third game together. New York may have more work to do to reach their ceiling, but theirs feels higher.

It still hurt last night. The Knicks led by as many as 13 in the back nine of the third quarter, but eventually trailed in the final 10:30 of the game. New York has had the upper hand in this matchup for the past few years; you’d rather not give the Cavs any credence. These teams play three more times this season, twice in Cleveland; the head-to-head tiebreaker could be important at the end of the campaign (not Cam Payne), with these two of the three teams likely to compete for the best record in the East.

(I didn’t forget about Philly. I drive an 18-year-old car. There are trips it’s reasonable to ask her for. There are trips I would never ask her for. Joel Embiid and Paul George were injury-prone when they were young, they are not young anymore.)

There was an entertaining sparring last night between two fighters who could very well have a heavyweight fight next spring. For now, this is a purely metaphorical comparison; there really isn’t an opponent that likes the Knicks as much on a personal level as these Cavs. I don’t hate this. In the ninth inning of last night’s Yankees/Dodgers World Series, Shohei Ohtani was on base and shared a laugh with Yankee first baseman Anthony Rizzo. I grew up with Pat Riley fining any Nick who helped an opponent off the floor. I cherish my memories of that time. Still, I’d rather see humanity between people than rudeness.

This heat will cool as the weather warms. Anything less than a conference final is a failure for New York, while Cleveland must do more than survive a first-time, one-dimensional playoff contender. Both have high hopes. Last night, the Cavs were working to a script; The Knicks are still mulling it over. The next game is on Wednesday when they host their other 2023 playoff opponent, Miami.