The league-leading Cleveland Cavaliers (47–14) rolled over the New York Knicks (20–39) on Monday night with a 124–93 win at Quicken Loans Arena. It was their third straight win against the Knicks this season.
Monday’s game was the first for the Cavs since the loss of the team’s only true center in Shaquille O’Neal. Shaq is out indefinitely with a thumb injury that occurred in Boston last Thursday off a Glen Davis blocked shot.
Shaq underwent surgery on his right thumb at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, on Monday, and is expected to be out for eight weeks, meaning he will likely miss the rest of the season.
The loss of Shaq is a particularly bitter one for Cleveland. “Win a ring for the King!” has been the big man’s motto ever since he came to Cleveland, where he has averaged 12 points and 6.7 points per game.
Shaq’s role was to neutralize other big centers like Orlando’s Dwight Howard—who the Cavs lost to in last year’s Eastern Conference finals—and help King LeBron James finally get his first NBA championship.
But Cleveland showed no signs of faltering on Monday, and J.J. Hickson stepped up to fill the huge shoes of O’Neal, scoring 17 points in his first starting role as center since high school.
The Cavs wasted no time taking it to the Knicks, with fast-paced play that pushed the ball up the court for several uncontested dunks in the first minutes of the first quarter, and excellent ball movement that always looked for the open man.
“When we get stops we’re doing a good job at pushing the ball ahead and running and getting easy baskets,” Cavs starting guard Anthony Parker told FSN at the half.
“We’ve been here before with this team and we really want to focus on trying to maintain this lead and playing with the energy that we have been.”
The Cavs went into the half with a 74–48 lead, tying their season record in scoring for a single half that was set against the Knicks on Feb. 6. In that game, James scored 47 points and set a franchise record with 35 points in the first half, including scoring 24 straight for the Cavs.
But Monday’s game was all about teamwork. The entire team eventually got on the scoreboard, and the points were evenly distributed among James (22), Antawn Jamison (17), Delonte West (14), and Hickson.
Jamison is showing himself to be a valuable addition to the team coming from the Washington Wizards just a few weeks ago, and West’s second half contribution was particularly notable. At times the 6-foot-3-inch guard played more like James, with high-flying dunks and unstoppable drives that brought the crowd to their feet.
Knicks starters Al Harrington (18 points), Danilo Gallinari (17 points), and All-Star David Lee (10 points) tried to put up a good fight. Knicks sixth man Bill Walker carried the team with 21 points. But this one was over at half time.
Monday’s game was the first for the Cavs since the loss of the team’s only true center in Shaquille O’Neal. Shaq is out indefinitely with a thumb injury that occurred in Boston last Thursday off a Glen Davis blocked shot.
Shaq underwent surgery on his right thumb at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, on Monday, and is expected to be out for eight weeks, meaning he will likely miss the rest of the season.
The loss of Shaq is a particularly bitter one for Cleveland. “Win a ring for the King!” has been the big man’s motto ever since he came to Cleveland, where he has averaged 12 points and 6.7 points per game.
Shaq’s role was to neutralize other big centers like Orlando’s Dwight Howard—who the Cavs lost to in last year’s Eastern Conference finals—and help King LeBron James finally get his first NBA championship.
But Cleveland showed no signs of faltering on Monday, and J.J. Hickson stepped up to fill the huge shoes of O’Neal, scoring 17 points in his first starting role as center since high school.
The Cavs wasted no time taking it to the Knicks, with fast-paced play that pushed the ball up the court for several uncontested dunks in the first minutes of the first quarter, and excellent ball movement that always looked for the open man.
“When we get stops we’re doing a good job at pushing the ball ahead and running and getting easy baskets,” Cavs starting guard Anthony Parker told FSN at the half.
“We’ve been here before with this team and we really want to focus on trying to maintain this lead and playing with the energy that we have been.”
The Cavs went into the half with a 74–48 lead, tying their season record in scoring for a single half that was set against the Knicks on Feb. 6. In that game, James scored 47 points and set a franchise record with 35 points in the first half, including scoring 24 straight for the Cavs.
But Monday’s game was all about teamwork. The entire team eventually got on the scoreboard, and the points were evenly distributed among James (22), Antawn Jamison (17), Delonte West (14), and Hickson.
Jamison is showing himself to be a valuable addition to the team coming from the Washington Wizards just a few weeks ago, and West’s second half contribution was particularly notable. At times the 6-foot-3-inch guard played more like James, with high-flying dunks and unstoppable drives that brought the crowd to their feet.
Knicks starters Al Harrington (18 points), Danilo Gallinari (17 points), and All-Star David Lee (10 points) tried to put up a good fight. Knicks sixth man Bill Walker carried the team with 21 points. But this one was over at half time.
