LEBRON, CAVS PUT ON A SHOW AT MSG

With a star studded crowd in attendance that included the New York Yankees and rap mogul Jay-Z, LeBron James took advantage of the occasion to put on a show.  Worthy of the Madison Square Garden venue that had played host to so many legends—from Frank Sinatra to Muhammad Ali—LeBron and his Cavs came out smoking and led 40-19 at the end of the first quarter.  Cleveland would go on to win 100-91 over the New York Knicks as LeBron posted 33 points, 9 assists and 8 rebounds in the Cavs only visit to ‘The Big Apple’ this season.

Cleveland’s performance even left NBA pointspread players in a celebratory mood, as they were able to cover as -7’ road favorites.  The Cavs improved to 3-5 against the spread, while New York continues to struggle at 1-5 both straight up and against the number.  The 191 combined points scored went UNDER the posted total of 201’.  It was the Knicks’ second straight UNDER after starting the season with four straight OVER verdicts.  Cleveland has now gone UNDER in six straight after a season opening OVER (by a mere half point).
 
LeBron made note of the Madison Square Garden atmosphere in his post game interview:

"The atmosphere was great. Lot of stars in the building and like I said it's humbling to know that you have guys like the Yankees come out and Jay-Z. It's really, really humbling. You almost feel like you're a performer sitting on the stage and they're watching you perform.  It's this building. This building's very special."

Added coach Mike Brown:

"LeBron was obviously LeBron. He was spectacular but you kind of overlook his numbers because of who he is."

Former Cav Larry Hughes had the dubious honor of trying to guard LeBron:

"They came off a game last night and as the leader of the team, you want to come out and be aggressive. He's always done it that way. I did my job in making him take tough shots and he did his job in making those tough shots."

Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni marveled:

"LeBron's first eight minutes were ridiculous. That's why he's the MVP and that's why New York's a special place."

The Cavs now have a few days off before returning to action on Wednesday against the Orlando Magic in Florida.  They’ll then play at Miami before returning home next Saturday to host the Utah Jazz.  The Knicks will play at Milwaukee on Saturday night before hosting the Utah Jazz and the Atlanta Hawks early next week.