The new-look Knicks ended the preseason with a 4-2 record, adding to the optimism that was brought by Kristaps Porzingis’ promising rookie season and the additions of former MVP Derrick Rose and former defensive player of the year Joakim Noah. Tuesday night against the Cavaliers, they’ll find out how well they are really meshing right now.
For the team’s franchise player, Carmelo Anthony, this is where he should be able to have that drive back. The future Hall-of-Famer has had a rough tenure in the Big Apple, as he could only lead the team to two playoff berths and one playoff series win in five seasons. He played in five of the six preseason games this October, averaging 16 points, four rebounds, and one assist per game, while playing in no more than 30 minutes in each outing.
The team is expected to have an adjustment period with new head coach Jeff Hornacek, who will be mixing his point guard-friendly style with the Triangle offense. With Rose and Noah, though, being longtime teammates in Chicago, there should be no problems chemistry-wise. Noah may get a lot of opportunities down low with Melo and Porzingis playing a lot in the perimeter.
Courtney Lee is an underrated addition and he could be big for the Knicks, he’s a two-way player that can thrive well under Hornacek’s system. Look for Lee to guard the opposing teams’ best players on most nights.
The Knicks have lost six straight games as underdogs (3-3 ATS).
The defending champion Cavs were predictably lax in the preseason, losing the last four games to end up with 2-4. It was probably for the better since the main purpose of those exhibition games are just to get some rhythm going. Expect a more inspired unit come opening night, especially since the team will be receiving their championship rings.
Look for the team’s trio of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love, to pick-up where they left off. It will be even more interesting to watch them play, now that they have an understanding of what it takes to win. Last season, James joined Russell Westbrook, James Harden, and Damian Lillard as the only players to be in league’s the top 10 of points, assists, and FGs made per game.
The Cavs’ offense had no trouble last year, as evidenced to being one of the top teams in points per game (104.3 – eighth), threes made (880 – second), and two-point field goals made (2291 – seventh).
Defensively, they were at the middle in opponents’ FG percentage (44.8 percent – 17th) and defensive rebounds (2777 – 20th), and were at the bottom in steals (551 – 28th) and blocks (317 – 27th). They were, however, fourth in points per game allowed, with 98.2.
Irving should have an exciting match-up with Rose, with the two being great in getting to the hoop, while Love’s stretch four style will look to get Porzingis and/or Noah out of the paint in some plays.
The Cavaliers are 7-3 SU (6-4 ATS) in their last 10 games as favorites.
