Dribbles: Darius Garland, Cavs Show Belief And Resilience In Upending Knicks

October 28, 2024

Random dribbles following the Cavaliers’ impressive 110-104 road win over the New York Knicks on Monday. …

1. Something just feels different about this team. It’s only four games, and you can’t really call a win in October spectacular, but this was pretty cool for the Cavaliers.

2. The Knicks are supposed to be a championship contender after landing Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges over the summer. They’re doggone good. And I’m not so sure the Cavs played anything close to their best.

3. Yet it was the Cavs who won, silencing the crowd at Madison Square Garden in the final 30 or so seconds.

4. And man oh man, was Darius Garland good on his way to 34 points. I don’t know that we saw this Garland at any point last season. Big shots. Smart passes. Belief. Determination. We witnessed all of it from Garland on this night.

5. He finished 12-of-19 shooting, including an icy 5-of-8 on 3-pointers. He only compiled three assists, but delivered more than a few passes that set up the next pass that led to a bucket.

6. All the while, Garland seemed to be sporting a smile and displaying a winning attitude. After all the criticism he took last season, this one had to feel good. And given that the Cavs won a game that many expected them to lose … well, it had to feel even better.

7. Donovan Mitchell grew up 45 minutes from MSG and he finished with 25 points on 9-of-17 shooting, with five assists. Evan Mobley scored 17 points and blocked three shots — and his aggressiveness in the second half was a big key. And Jarrett Allen? All he did was score 15 points and grab a whopping 15 rebounds.

8. Defensively, everyone did the dirty work. Not just the players who I’ve already listed — but everyone. Cleveland overcame a 13-point deficit in the third quarter. You don’t do that with offense alone. You gotta get stops.

9. Overall, this was as impressive a performance as Cleveland could’ve hoped for. Everyone said the Cavs’ 3-0 record came against a bunch of nobodies — and that’s a correct assessment. But 4-0 with a road win over the Knicks? That just feels a little different, a little more impressive, and a lot more like the Cavs are on to something in the Kenny Atkinson era.

10. Again, I don’t know that anyone beyond the Core Four played all that well. But the Cavs’ bench still hung tough and was outscored by only a 20-18 count.

11. All this, and Cleveland has played just one home game.

12. I admit, I watched this one as if it were a playoff game. Almost, anyway. I really wanted to see how the Cavs matched up against a good team in their building. For the first 30 minutes or so, it went from just OK, to not-so-great, to probably bad. Then the Cavs buckled down on defense, settled down on offense, and simply refused to lose.

13. All five Knicks starters scored in double figures, led by Jalen Brunson‘s 21 and Bridges’ 19. But almost no one could get a decent look at the basket when it was winning time. So anyone who wondered if the Cavs’ defense could be as good as last season … well, I think we have our answer.

14. Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau to reporters: “We just missed some shots and gave up some easy ones in transition. That hurt us.”

15. And the Cavaliers had plenty to do with that.

16. Yes, there are still 78 to go, and yes, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are in town on Wednesday. After that, it’s a playoff rematch with the Orlando Magic on Friday. But this is a great start for a team that is running it back and showing the benefits of doing so. We now know that, already, the Cavs believe they’re capable of big things.