Cavaliers 126, Knicks 109: A tetrad
The Knicks dropped their third game of their last four to a revitalized Cavs team chock full of young talent, with a Ricky Rubio career night dooming New York to a 126-109 destruction.
The New York Knicks fell 126-109 to the Cleveland Cavaliers last night, their third loss in four games. The Third Quarter of Doom did them in, which the visitors dominated to the tune of 33-18. Any adjunct professor can quote you Orwell: “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.” An L is an L, but three Ls outta four is grounds for reflection. Marshall McLuhan created the concept of using a tetrad to analyze the effects of any medium, any anything that affects the way we live our life. Fire’s a medium. So are wifi, holidays, and natural disasters. A tetrad looks at what the medium extends, obsoletes, retrieves and reverses. Let’s Knicks that and tetrad last night’s L.
EXTENSION: THE DEFENSE REMAINS OFFENSIVE
Last year through 10 games New York gave up more than 110 points only twice; last night was the fifth time this year. The Knicks are giving up nearly six more points a game than the same span a year ago. Cleveland’s 126 on 54% from the field and from 3-point land extend what’s now a 10-game sample size of defensive slippage. Sometimes it’s someone waiting a fraction of a second too long to close out.
Sometimes it’s just a bad break that quickly turns into points surrendered.
It may be a lot of little things. But something is rotten in the state of da Knick defense.
OBSOLESCENCE: THE CAVS AS LAUGHINGSTOCK
The last nine seasons LeBron James was a Cavalier, they made the playoffs. The last 12 seasons Cleveland was without him, they’ve missed the playoffs. They were expected to endure more growing pains this year; instead they’re off to a terrific start at 7-4, even enjoying a winning record on the road (5-3), where they’ve played five more games than at home. Two of the biggest reasons for their early success are two of the youngest: Darius Garland (22) and Evan Mobley (20).
Garland is a rook or a bishop, only needing a sliver of daylight to do damage from deep. Julius Randle is attentive out to the arc. That’s not nearly enough.
The seemingly limitless Mobley, in addition to defensive gifts befitting a god, also drained a couple 3-pointers. In case you weren’t already terrified of a future going against him.
Of the seven Cavs to play the most minutes this season, the only two older than 24 are Cedi Osman and Ricky Rubio. Old Man Osman, 26, looked spry, even LeBronian on this transition block.
It was El Viejo himself, the 31-year-old Rubio, who was the MVP of this game. Ricard Rubio i Vives scored a career-high 37 on just 19 shots in 21 minutes. There were the usual Rubio hallmarks: the passing, the steals, etc. There were also 3-pointers. Lot of ‘em.
Eight, in fact. The sideways eight is the symbol of infinity; reality seemed turn on its side watching the typically errant Rubio splash an infinitude of threes. Elfrid Payton’s career percentages from the field and behind the arc are 45% and 29%. Rubio’s are 39% and 33%. This was Charlie Brown kicking the football shocking.
Cleveland has a nice young core for the first time in a long time. In addition to Mobley and Garland, Jarrett Allen had 18 and 17 plus four assists. Collin Sexton sat much of the night after suffering a contused knee, but he’s still their leading scorer, as he has been every year since LeBron left for the left coast. For the first time in a while, the Cavs could be back. Maybe for a while.
RETRIEVAL: THE RIVALRY THAT NEVER WAS
If Michael Jordan had never been born, Kobe Bryant might never have existed. Karl Malone would have won eight scoring titles and be better known for that than raping a 13-year-old. The Knicks, we often hear, would have won at least one title in Jumpman’s absence. But maybe they wouldn’t. Because another consequence of Michael Jeffrey Jordan existing was keeping a potentially fierce rivalry from ever actually happening: the Knicks and Cavaliers.
In 1989, 1992, 1993, and 1994, Jordan and the Chicago Bulls eliminated New York or Cleveland one round before they would have met. Those old Cavs teams, led by Mark Price, Brad Daugherty, and Larry Nance Sr., were beautiful to watch play, and for a few years the Knicks couldn’t win a game at Richfield Coliseum. The teams did meet in the first round in 1995 and 1996, with the Knicks winning both, but by then both’s best years were behind them.
Two young Knicks likely to figure in any future rivalries hit benchmarks last night. Obi Toppin made all four of his shots and all three of his free throws for 11 points. That’s the third time he’s scored in double-figures this year in 10 games; last season he scored double-figures three times in 62.
Kemba Walker sitting out the first game of a back-to-back, a routine he began his final season in Boston, meant Immanuel Quickley played 20 minutes for just the second time this season. Pro’ly not coincidentally, he scored in double-figures for just the second time, both coming in his 20-minute nights. IQ was a force in Friday’s win in Milwaukee. If he’s turned the corner, the Knick bench goes from “good” to “expert-level.”
REVERSAL: FROM BIG 3 TO BIG 2
With Walker out, Derrick Rose joined the starters. His numbers were good — 17 points on 57% shooting and five assists. But the Knicks’ Big 3 is Randle, RJ Barrett and their Frankenstein monster of a point guard platoon, AKA Walker and Rose combining for 25 and six assists a night on 48% from deep. That’s a big part of the team’s early-season success: after years of ________ point guard play (choose your adjective), these Knicks know if the 4-time All-Star isn’t on the floor, the 3-time All-Star and former MVP is.
Walker returns tonight when the Knicks travel to Philadelphia to take on the 76ers. Hopefully the defense shows up as well.
