TIM & KNICKS CROWN KING!
$72 million man scores 34 to stun LeBron & Cavaliers
CLEVELAND — There was a moment early in the fourth quarter when the Cavaliers cut the deficit to 6 points, when the direction of the game felt like a Knicks collapse was inevitable. Only it never happened Sunday. The Knicks hit the three-time defending Eastern Conference champs with a swift counterpunch, and an upset was consummated with a 9-0 run that eventually sent LeBron James to the bench for garbagetime observation.
The Knicks didn’t just beat the Cavaliers, 11495, on Sunday night. They pounded them, dominated them. They snapped a 10game losing streak against Cleveland with James being thoroughly outplayed by Kristaps Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr. Who saw that coming? “It’s nice to finally beat the Cavs for the first time in my career,” said Porzingis, who scored 32 points. “It’s just another game but hopefully it can be in the playoffs and that’s when it really matters.”
The Cavaliers (3-4) are a mess in their post-Kyrie Irving era, now losers of four of their last five games – all against teams in the lottery last season. There was hope they’d be stimulated by the return of Derrick Rose, who started Sunday against his former team following a four-game absence because of a sprained ankle.
If anything, the Knicks were inspired.
James, playing in the second night of a back-to-back, appeared exhausted