Knicks vs. Cavaliers: Score, Highlights and Reaction from 2016 Regular Season

The champs are here.  

Shortly after receiving some sweet bling to commemorate their NBA Finals triumph over the Golden State Warriors, the Cleveland Cavaliers opened the 2016-17 season Tuesday night with an emphatic 117-88 win over the New York Knicks at Quicken Loans Arena. 

And just as they did last postseason, the Cavs leaned on their star-studded trio of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love to lead the way. 

James set the tone with 19 points (9-of-14 shooting), 14 assists and 11 rebounds, and his triple-double was the first in a team’s season opener since Jason Kidd in 2006, according to Sports Illustrated’s Ben Golliver. 

ESPN Stats & Info provided another historical tidbit regarding James’ staggering production: 

LeBron’s distribution was effective in the @cavs win in their season opener. pic.twitter.com/rNTUZ0SjxC

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 26, 2016

With James serving as the Cavs’ primary facilitator, Irving assumed the role of go-to scorer and poured in a game-high 29 points on 12-of-22 shooting (4-of-7 from three) to go with four assists and two steals. 

Love double-doubled with 23 points and 12 rebounds, and he added three steals on a night when he looked spry on both ends of the floor. Furthermore, Love’s final tallies of 23 points, 12 rebounds and three steals gave him a line he didn’t post in a single game all of last season.  

Vice Sports’ Jared Dubin took note of Love’s stellar play: 

Kevin Love has been excellent. Really put in work on the block and beat a bunch of closeouts to make plays. 12 boards, too.

— Yaya Dubin (@JADubin5) October 26, 2016

Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose dropped 19 and 17 points for the Knicks, respectively, while Kristaps Porzingis notched 16 points, seven rebounds and two blocks. 

Those numbers look decent in a vacuum, but the Knicks turned the ball over 18 times and tallied just 17 assists as they failed to mesh against the class of the Eastern Conference—especially early. 

The Cavaliers led by 10 after the first quarter despite shooting 37.9 percent from the field and 2-of-10 from three. They had the Knicks’ sloppy play to thank for that. 

Although the Knicks held true to the tenets of head coach Jeff Hornacek’s offense and pushed the pace, they turned the ball over seven times in the first quarter. 

As the Wall Street Journal’s Chris Herring observed, the Knicks didn’t look like a cohesive unit early: 

Knicks looking to push the ball, …

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