Stoudemire, Anthony and Billups all shine for New York as Knicks finally snap Cavaliers' domination.
View full sizeCarmelo Anthony soars toward the Cavaliers' Alonzo Gee during this first-half drive to the basket Sunday night at Madison Square Garden.NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Final observations from the Cavs' 123-107 loss to the Knicks Sunday evening at Madison Square Garden:
It was a heck of a run the Cavs had against the Knicks.
No, not Sunday, although Baron Davis' 11 straight points in 1:18 of the second quarter to get his teammates back into a game they'd trailed by 22 was impressive enough.
But their three victories this year against a team with lofty expectations was amazing, given the lineup the Cavs put out there for the last two wins. They came pre- and post-Carmelo Anthony. And 11 straight victories against any one team in the NBA is awfully hard to do, including five straight in Madison Square Garden.
Before Sunday's game Cavs coach Byron Scott was asked why his team was able to have so much success against the Knicks.
"I have no idea,'' he said with a smile. "A lot of it has to do with the fact that this Knick team is not a team that can overpower you. They're not a whole lot bigger than we are, probably about the same athletic-wise. They've got two fantastic scorers. But I think we've been able to hang in there during the games and for whatever reason we've got confidence that we can come out here and play with these guys. I don't know. I just think it's matchups.''
The Knicks clearly were bugged by the fact that a team with 15 victories had beaten them three times. They were so upset they even decided to play defense down the stretch, which has never been their strong suit.
After the game, Scott and Davis said this year was an aberration and that the Cavs would be back in the playoff hunt next season, perhaps battling these very same Knicks. In the meantime, though, the streak was nice for the Cavs while it lasted.
Final: Knicks 123, Cavs 107. The Cavaliers have a name for it: The Sunday funk.
They have played 12 games on Sunday this year, and they are 0-12 after Sunday's loss to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
They're 0-7 at home and 0-5 on the road on Sunday.
"Our Sundays...we just haven't been there,'' Cavs coach Byron Scott admitted.
And that was before the game.
Amar'e Stoudemire had 28 points, Carmelo Anthony added 25 and Chauncey Billups had 23 as the Knicks, 38-38, clinched a playoff spot with their first victory in four tries against the Cavs this season.
This also snapped the Cavs 11-game winning streak overall against the Knicks and their five-game winning streak in the Garden.
J.J. Hickson had 23 points and eight rebounds and Baron Davis added 22 to lead the Cavs, 15-61. Samardo Samuels, the defensive hero of the Cavs 119-115 upset here on March 4, played with his sprained right wrist taped and finished with nine points and nine rebounds.
Third quarter update: Knicks 93, Cavs 88. Cavs were within two several times but couldn't quite get over the hump.
Though they're outshooting the Knicks, 58.6 percent to 47.7 percent, and outrebounding them, 29-27, Knicks are 22 of 23 from the line.
Halftime update: Knicks 67, Cavs 57. With the Knicks shooting 70 percent from 3-point range at one point, New York pulled out to a 61-39 lead with about four minutes left in the second quarter.
New York still led, 62-41, but Baron Davis scored 11 straight points in about a minute to get the Cavs back in it.
First quarter update: Knicks 36, Cavs 25.
Cavs started off strong, pulling out to an 11-5 lead before Baron Davis was called for his second foul with 8:30 left in the first quarter. New York responded to Davs' absence by closing out the quarter on a 31-14 run.
Chauncey Billups had 17 points, including three 3-pointers, for the Knicks, who made 14 of 23 shots (61 percent). J.J. Hickson had 13 points for the Cavs, who made 11 of 19 shots (58 percent). The Cavs did outrebound the Knicks, 10-7, a welcome sight after Friday night's performance at Washington.
Cavs starters: F Alonzo Gee, F J.J. Hickson, C Ryan Hollins, G Anthony Parker, G Baron Davis.
Knicks starters: F Carmelo Anthony, F Amar'e Stoudemire, C Shelden Williams, G Chauncey Billups, G Landry Fields
Injuries: Semih Erden (strained right adductor), Antawn Jamison (fractured left little finger) and Anderson Varejao (torn tendon, right foot) are out for Cavs. Andy Rautins (left knee debridement) is out for Knicks.
Inactives: Erden, Jamison and Varejao for Cavs. Renaldo Balkman, Derrick Brown, Rautins for Knicks.
Officials: Derrick Stafford, Brent Barnaky and David Jones .
Three things to watch
1. Can the Cavs beat the Knicks again -- for the fourth time this season, the 12th time in a row overall and the sixth straight time in Madison Square Garden?
2. If Samardo Samuels plays, will Carmelo Anthony remember him?
3. Will the Cavs do any better on the boards -- or keeping the Knicks off the boards -- than they did against the Wizards on Friday in Washington?
Source: http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2011/04/cavs_vs_knicks_mary_schmitt_bo_2.html
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