Carmelo Anthony wanted revenge. He got Samardo Samuels and more aggravation instead.
Baron Davis hit a big three-pointer in the final seconds of his Cavaliers debut, Samuels irritated Anthony all game and the Cavaliers withstood monster nights from Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire to stun the New York Knicks on Friday night, 119-115, extending their inexplicable winning streak over the Knicks to 11 in a row.
Most of those victories came during the LeBron James era, but the Cavs are 3-0 against the playoff-bound Knicks this season. The Cavs have five wins in their past 45 games - three of them have come against the Knicks.
"Our younger guys are starting to understand what it takes to be pro athletes every night in this league," Cavs coach Byron Scott said, dismissing any thought of a hex over Gotham. "I don't think the guys let the bright lights get to them, which is big."
It was little more than a month ago when the Cavs went into Staples Center and were handed their worst loss in franchise history by the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. Scott chastised them afterward for playing scared and looking intimidated.
They clearly learned their lesson. They weren't fazed at all by the mystique of Madison Square Garden.
Anthony said before the game that he viewed Friday as payback for the loss to the Cavs last week at Quicken Loans Arena. The Knicks played that way for the first six minutes, storming out to a 22-10 lead. Hard as they tried, though, they couldn't shake the Cavs.
Stoudemire equaled his season high with 41 points, Anthony had the most of his brief Knicks career with 29 points and the Knicks led by 12 with eight minutes left. But the Cavs kept fighting - which clearly kept aggravating the Knicks, and particularly Anthony.
Samuels stood his ground and drew a charge on Stoudemire in the third quarter, then he came up with two of the biggest defensive plays of the game. He got Anthony on a charge with 1:30 remaining and the score tied, when Anthony's pass to Shawne Williams in the corner resulted in a 3-pointer that didn't count.
Then he got Anthony on another charge with the game on the line in the final seconds. The Knicks trailed 117-115 coming out of a timeout with seven seconds left.
Anthony took the inbounds and had little trouble getting around Anthony Parker, but Samuels was waiting for him in the lane. Anthony crashed high into him, with his knee catching Samuels in the neck. The crowd erupted thinking Anthony was going to the line to tie the game, then fell silent when the ball went the other way.
Before the charges, Samuels was jawing with both Stoudemire and Anthony, baiting Anthony into a shove and a technical foul. Samuels thought his physical, aggressive style aggravated the Knicks.
"They were like, 'Who is this guy? He's out here pestering us,' " Samuels said. "I was getting under (Anthony's) skin a little bit. My teammates were telling me not to take it too far. I know my limit. At the end of the day, I'm a big dude. Not too much is going to hurt me out there. I'm out there having fun."
So is Davis, who thoroughly enjoyed his Cavs debut. Particularly the ending.
Davis has earned a reputation throughout his career as a Knicks killer, and he did it to them again. His 3-pointer with 10 seconds left gave the Cavs a 116-112 lead.
The Knicks still had a chance when Stoudemire nailed a 3-pointer and Ramon Sessions split two free throws, but Samuels' tough defense allowed the Cavs to escape with the victory.
"It always feels good to win in the Garden," Davis said. "As a kid, you dream of playing here on the big stage, the bright lights. Now that they're a powerhouse team, it's good for these young guys to get that experience playing on that prime time stage. It was definitely a big confidence boost."
J.J. Hickson had 23 points, and Samuels added 15.
Luke Harangody, who wasn't supposed to play because of a right hip pointer, convinced Scott to let him give it a try. Turned out to be a great idea.
Harangody had 18 points and knocked down two clutch free throws in the final seconds to clinch the win.
"Once I got warmed up, it felt pretty good," he said. "We got good looks and great stops and some big charges, especially from Samardo. This is great for us. This is a big win."
Baron Davis hit a big three-pointer in the final seconds of his Cavaliers debut, Samuels irritated Anthony all game and the Cavaliers withstood monster nights from Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire to stun the New York Knicks on Friday night, 119-115, extending their inexplicable winning streak over the Knicks to 11 in a row.
Most of those victories came during the LeBron James era, but the Cavs are 3-0 against the playoff-bound Knicks this season. The Cavs have five wins in their past 45 games - three of them have come against the Knicks.
"Our younger guys are starting to understand what it takes to be pro athletes every night in this league," Cavs coach Byron Scott said, dismissing any thought of a hex over Gotham. "I don't think the guys let the bright lights get to them, which is big."
It was little more than a month ago when the Cavs went into Staples Center and were handed their worst loss in franchise history by the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. Scott chastised them afterward for playing scared and looking intimidated.
They clearly learned their lesson. They weren't fazed at all by the mystique of Madison Square Garden.
Anthony said before the game that he viewed Friday as payback for the loss to the Cavs last week at Quicken Loans Arena. The Knicks played that way for the first six minutes, storming out to a 22-10 lead. Hard as they tried, though, they couldn't shake the Cavs.
Stoudemire equaled his season high with 41 points, Anthony had the most of his brief Knicks career with 29 points and the Knicks led by 12 with eight minutes left. But the Cavs kept fighting - which clearly kept aggravating the Knicks, and particularly Anthony.
Samuels stood his ground and drew a charge on Stoudemire in the third quarter, then he came up with two of the biggest defensive plays of the game. He got Anthony on a charge with 1:30 remaining and the score tied, when Anthony's pass to Shawne Williams in the corner resulted in a 3-pointer that didn't count.
Then he got Anthony on another charge with the game on the line in the final seconds. The Knicks trailed 117-115 coming out of a timeout with seven seconds left.
Anthony took the inbounds and had little trouble getting around Anthony Parker, but Samuels was waiting for him in the lane. Anthony crashed high into him, with his knee catching Samuels in the neck. The crowd erupted thinking Anthony was going to the line to tie the game, then fell silent when the ball went the other way.
Before the charges, Samuels was jawing with both Stoudemire and Anthony, baiting Anthony into a shove and a technical foul. Samuels thought his physical, aggressive style aggravated the Knicks.
"They were like, 'Who is this guy? He's out here pestering us,' " Samuels said. "I was getting under (Anthony's) skin a little bit. My teammates were telling me not to take it too far. I know my limit. At the end of the day, I'm a big dude. Not too much is going to hurt me out there. I'm out there having fun."
So is Davis, who thoroughly enjoyed his Cavs debut. Particularly the ending.
Davis has earned a reputation throughout his career as a Knicks killer, and he did it to them again. His 3-pointer with 10 seconds left gave the Cavs a 116-112 lead.
The Knicks still had a chance when Stoudemire nailed a 3-pointer and Ramon Sessions split two free throws, but Samuels' tough defense allowed the Cavs to escape with the victory.
"It always feels good to win in the Garden," Davis said. "As a kid, you dream of playing here on the big stage, the bright lights. Now that they're a powerhouse team, it's good for these young guys to get that experience playing on that prime time stage. It was definitely a big confidence boost."
J.J. Hickson had 23 points, and Samuels added 15.
Luke Harangody, who wasn't supposed to play because of a right hip pointer, convinced Scott to let him give it a try. Turned out to be a great idea.
Harangody had 18 points and knocked down two clutch free throws in the final seconds to clinch the win.
"Once I got warmed up, it felt pretty good," he said. "We got good looks and great stops and some big charges, especially from Samardo. This is great for us. This is a big win."
No comments:
Post a Comment