The New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers are playing live on the NBA schedule for the Cavs home opener as LeBron James starts his season in Ohio and the matchup is on TNT and streaming online from the NBA.com League Pass and TNT Overtime as Carmelo Anthony and NY travel to play King James at Quicken Loans Arena and things start up past 8 pm ET Thursday.
The Knicks come into the game after a bad loss against the Chicago Bulls and so far the triangle offense has not been a success and the team also has to deal with Jose Calderon being injured. The Knicks had high hopes coming into the season and now they could be looking at an 0-2 start, as LeBron James is looking to come out fast for the Cavaliers and he will be motivated to get a win. James is returning home to Cleveland and everyone is pumped that he is there and ESPN was live from the city before the game and the matchup is on TV from Turner.
The Knicks come into the game after losing to the Chicago Bulls to start the season and that saw the team fall apart on offense. The triangle did not look good and now they will be without Jose Calderon for two weeks and that means Shane Larkin is in the starting lineup. The Knicks had the Bulls and now they have the Cavs and those are the two best teams in the east this season and that makes the opening games a rough road for the team. The Knicks have the Hornets next and that will be on Sunday at MSG and could see the team at 0-2 into that game.
The Knicks and Phil Jackson knew that the triangle could be a tough adjustment for Carmelo Anthony, but the team did not look good on Wednesday and now they have the Cavaliers on the road for a tough matchup. Anthony had 14 points in the game and Amar'e added eight rebounds and the team has Carmelo leading with three assists and that will not cut it. The Knicks made a trade for Calderon and gave away Raymond Felton, but now that upgrade will be sidelined for a few weeks and that could be tough to overcome.
The Knicks started the season 3-13 and that basically ended their year, as they could not pull out of that hole. The team cannot afford a start like that again and they will be trying all they can to ensure they at least play better over the first month of the year. Expectations are high, but fans should realize this is a process and Rome was not built in one day.
The Cavaliers come in with sky high expectations and making it to the east finals is expected and a championship is a goal. The team may need some time to adjust, but the fans are happy and this game comes ahead of their next matchup, which is on the road against the Bulls. The Bulls and Cavs should be a good battle all season in the division and they could be the final teams in the east this season.
Check here for the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers live coverage from the NBA and TNT.