Written by Dan Devine at YahooSports.com
LeBron James said Monday that he had no interest in a face-to-face conversation with New York Knicks team president Phil Jackson to hash out their differences over Jackson using the term “posse” to refer to James’ friends and business partners. No matter. Come Wednesday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers superstar let his game speak loudly enough for everyone to hear, using his titanic talents not to put the controversy to rest, but rather to put Jackson’s Knicks to bed nice and early.
The Cavs never trailed at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, leading bell to bell in a 126-94 victory during which the defending NBA champs barely seemed to break a sweat. James led the way, scoring 25 points on 7-for-10 shooting from the field and a 10-for-14 mark at the foul line to go with seven assists, six rebounds, two blocks and a steal:
James fell short of his sterling career average of 28.5 points per game as a visitor at the World’s Most Famous Arena, but that’s only because he spent the entire fourth quarter in a warm-up shirt on the Cavalier bench. By putting Cleveland up 27 entering the final frame, the King ensured his services wouldn’t be needed over the final 12 minutes, affording him the chance to engage in more difficult pursuits … like the Water Bottle Challenge:
More fun than the actual game pic.twitter.com/S8Rx7Yqsm3
— SB Nation GIF (@SBNationGIF) December 8, 2016
Kyrie Irving added 28 points (9-for-17 from the floor, 4-for-6 from 3-point range, 6-for-6 from the foul line) with six assists and two rebounds for the Cavs, who have now won consecutive games since the three-game slide that led James to proclaim the“honeymoon stage” officially over after Cleveland’s victory in June’s 2016 NBA Finals. Kevin Love chipped in 21 points, while dirty-work-loving center Tristan Thompson dominated the glass with 20 rebounds, extending Cleveland possessions on one end and fueling a transition game that led to a 23-8 edge in fast-break points.
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