LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers started their title defense off on the right foot on Tuesday night, decimating the New York Knicks to the tune of a 117-88 win. Any thoughts of a championship hangover were dismissed (for a night at least), as LeBron and Kyrie Irving both looked to be in midseason form.
LeBron had a triple-double with 19 points, 14 assists (including this gorgeous no-look pass) and 11 rebounds, but his night was largely defined by the series of vicious dunks he threw down all over the hapless Knicks defense. With the force of his dunks, LeBron gave off an air of defiance, probably to assert that it’s the Cavs defending the title, not the anointed Golden State Warriors. How else to explain the dunk that starts at the 1:11 mark, thrown down with such force that it sounded like someone whacked the backboard with a baseball bat?
Basketball is back, and it feels so good.
