What to Watch For - Cavs v. Knicks
Posted December 3rd, 2008 by Michael Curry
What to watch for when the Cavaliers host the New York Knicks tonight at the Q.
1. How about those throwback jerseys? The Cavaliers will be unveiling the third throwback jersey of the LeBron James era, heading all the way back to the team’s first season in 1974 for this gold number. The Cavaliers have done a great job in showing off the iconic color schemes from the team’s history, and the bright gold-yellow color is unique in the league at this time. Here’s hoping that the team finds success in the jersey tonight, because we’ll be seeing it five more times this season, including big home games against the Hornets and Pistons.
2. Al Harrington is loving his current role with the Knicks, who acquired Harrington in a trade two weeks ago. Since his arrival in New York, Harrington is averaging 22.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. That doesn’t mean that Harrington is playing well, as he is shooting only 38.7% (30-81), but he sees himself as a scorer, and so far the Knicks have allowed him to hoist whenever he feels like it. But while Harrington might end up with solid numbers, he’s not going to help the Knicks win very many games. There’s a reason why a bad team like the Warriors would happily send him packing.
3. Will the Cavaliers overlook the Knicks? The Cavs enter tonight’s game as the clearly better team, but the disparity isn’t as great today as it was last Tuesday, when the Cavaliers beat the Knicks by 18 points in New York. The Knicks are still adjusting to the departure of Jamal Crawford and Zach Randolph and the addition of Harrington, Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas. But the sea change in the roster hasn’t kept the Knicks from scoring bunches of points, as New York is averaging 105 ppg on the season and scored a whopping 138 points against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday. The Knicks love to push misses, so the Cavaliers best defense might be a good, methodical offense that creates good shots and keeps the Knicks from getting into transition. But if the Cavs try to shoot over the Knicks defense, this game could end up being a lot tougher than the Cavaliers expect. Still, with the Knicks playing on the second night of a back-to-back, I expect the Cavaliers to roll the Knicks one more time as they start a relatively easy week.
Go Cavs.
