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Hey, the Knicks might win tonight. You never know. They might beat the stacked Cavaliers in LeBron James' born-again debut in Cleveland short-handed on the second night of a back-to-back. That would be great. There's a chance-- just a chance!-- they won't, though, and I'm steeling myself for that. And all the crap around that.
Tonight is a party in Cleveland. It's going to be overwhelming-- tens of thousands of giddy people watching tens of millions of dollars of talent and #branding assembled for real for the first time, televised on a national scale. You can't play a basketball game without an opponent, and you can't have a party without a piñata (this is the law in Ohio). The Knicks are the piñata. Someone had to be. Every once in a while, the piñata escapes its noose, snatches the bat, and beats up all the children while spraying a semi-automatic barrage of Tootsie Rolls at the ones who ran away. Usually not. Circumstances do not favor the piñata.
But for real, even if the Knicks manage to play spoiler, there is going to be a lot of glee at our expense-- on TNT, on the internet, and right on the floor. Brace yourself. It's okay. And it'll make it sooooo much tastier if the Knicks can find a way to ruin everything.
No Jose Calderon tonight, of course. And one other lineup change:
Fisher says Acy will start at PF tonight. Rest of the lineup is the same. #Knicks
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) October 30, 2014
That's pretty weird! Here's why:
#Knicks DFisher sed with mashups in mind Quincy Acy starts...wants to see Amare at 5 with second unit
— Fred Kerber (@FredKerber) October 30, 2014
Also:
Fisher says Iman will play some point guard in light of Calderon's injury. #Knicks
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) October 30, 2014
And:
Fisher says Melo will probably start off guarding LeBron
— Chris Herring (@HerringWSJ) October 30, 2014
Tip-off's at 8 on TNT. Fear the Sword is here. Please don't post large photos, GIFs, or links to illegal streams in the thread. Go the Knicks! And good luck!