Apr 12, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; New York Knicks point guard Jason Kidd (5) defends a shot against Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard Wayne Ellington (21) in the second quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

For three plus quarters, the Cleveland Cavaliers were able to hang with the New York Knicks. While the lead stayed around nine for the majority of the game, there were points where the Cavaliers were able to cut the lead down and appear read to make a move.

But, as has become the norm this season, Cleveland was unable to move forward and get back in the thick of it. The game was sealed when the Knicks pulled ahead by 20 with a little over 8 minutes to go. When both teams pulled out their top players, the Cavaliers got the lead down to 10, eventually falling by a score of 101-91.

Kyrie Irving led the Cavaliers with 31 points, while Tristan Thompson added 17 points and 11 rebounds. Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith co-lead the Knicks with 31 points.

For the Cavaliers, this game was another example of the fact they have a long way to go before they are ready to compete the East’s elite. After the first quarter, the only Cavalier to have his offensive mojo was, predictably, Irving.  And even Irving was inefficient – only making 11 of 27 shots in his 36 minutes of action.

For the game, the Cavaliers shot 43 percent from the field as compared to New  York’s 50.6 percent. The Knicks top to scorers, Anthony and Smith, were largely efficient on the offensive end. Anthony was 12 of 24 from the field, while Smith was 13 of 16.

There were, however, some positives signs for this Cavaliers teams. The Cavaliers equaled the Knicks’ six fast break points and scored 38 points in the paint as compared to the Knicks 32.

What won the Knicks the game was their overall shooting and offensive fluidity. Lead by Anthony and Smith’s offensive output, the Knicks were far superior to the Cavaliers on offensive. There was purpose to their offensive attack and no wasted shots. They attacked the rim, made a fair portion of their three point shots and were efficient from the free throw line. This game was the Knicks at their finest and a glimpse of what this team needs to do in order to make a deep run the playoffs.

For Cleveland, this game was just another game in a lost season. There are some serious flaws in the Cavaliers and tonight showed that. Moving forward, Irving cannot be the only offensive threat and it is completely unacceptable for Tyler Zeller for score zero points in 21 minutes of action. There is serious work to be done for this Cavaliers team to get actually be competitive with the league’s athletes.

Over the next three games, we’ll have to see what kind of effort the Cavs will put forth. Can they win at least one game when they take on the Miami Heat, Charlotte Bobcats and Philadelphia 76ers? At least two of those game are winnable and one should really be no problem for the Cavaliers to win.

But in all seriousness, it is a good thing that this Cavaliers season is winding down to its slow, bitter end. Only then can the Cavaliers, their front office and the fan base focus on what matters most: the 2013 NBA Draft.

Dec 15, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Raymond Felton (2) defends Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving (2) during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 103-102. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

On a normal evening, the New York Knicks would wipe the floor with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The 3^rd place team in the Eastern Conference has Carmelo Anthony (one of the league’s premier stars) and a really strong supporting cast. The Cavaliers, on the other hand, are all but out of the playoff race and have had injuries derail some of their top players. But with the Knicks coming off a tough loss to Miami last night, and the Cavaliers likely welcoming back Kyrie Irving this game is unquestionably up for grabs.

Opponent’s Blog:  Buckets Over Broadway

Venue: Quicken Loans Arena

Tipoff: 7 P.M

Betting Line: Knicks by -3

Where you can watch: Fox Sports Ohio

Where you can listen: WTAM (1100), WFUN (970 AM)

For the Cavaliers, this game is winnable if all of their top players play. Irving is probable for tonight, while rookies Dion Waiters and Tyler Zeller are both questionable with undisclosed illnesses. If all three of that trio plays, then some interesting match ups will happen. Irving against Raymond Felton (and some Jason Kidd) is interesting, as is Zeller taking on a big challenge in Tyson Chandler. However, the most intriguing matchup to me is Waiters versus Iman Shumpart. Shumpart isn’t great on offense, but he is a solid defender that could give Waiters some fits.

One other matchup to watch is when Anthony shifts to the four and is defended by the Cavalier’s Tristan Thompson. Thompson, a decent defender, is going to be at a large speed disadvantage when defending Anthony. It’s hard to see how Thompson will slow down Anthony in the open floor and even in the post, but the same could be said for Anthony in the post. He’s never been a great defender and I’d like to see the Cavaliers feed the ball to Thompson down low and make Anthony work on both ends of the floor.

For the Knicks, their one concern is about their fatigue. As mentioned before, they played a grueling game against the Heat where Anthony, Felton, Kidd, Chandler and J.R. Smith all played more than thirty minutes. Even crazier, only Felton played less than 34 minutes against Miami. With the Cavaliers having been off since Friday, it’ll be interesting to see how fatigue affects this game.

The Knicks are the best they’ve ever been and Anthony is having arguably the best season of this career. In many peoples minds (including this writer’s) they are one of the few teams in the league that will be able to push the Heat come playoff time. A win for the Cavaliers as they stand now would be a huge notch in their belt.

Let’s also not forget what happened the last time the Cavaliers took on the Knicks. Irving, wearing a black facial mask, scored 41 at Madison Square Garden almost lead the Cavaliers back in a 103-102 loss. The performance Irving put on that night was recently coming back from injury and had just had another injury scare a few nights before. The situation is different now (and the injury less severe) but if Irving puts on a similar performance, tonight could be incredible.

UPDATE: Both Waiters and Zeller are now out due to illness. Wayne Ellington will start in place of Waiters, while Marresse Speights will start in place of Zeller.

Feb 16, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Eastern Conference forward LeBron James (6) of the Miami Heat tries to take the ball away from guard Kyrie Irving (2) of the Cleveland Cavaliers during practice for the 2013 NBA all star game at the George R. Brown Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The 2013 edition of the Kia NBA All-Star Game, on paper, could be one of the most exciting in recent memory. A remarkable nine of the league’s top 10 scorers will play in Houston on Sunday at 8 p.m. (on TNT) with the one exclusion being the snubbed Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors. Tonight’s game will also be interesting due to some young stars, like the Cavaliers’ Kyrie Irving, making their first All-Star appearances alongside the old guns consisting of Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett. Plus, the NBA All-Star Game is the best in all of sports – the players go for broke and the scores are always high. To put it simply, this game is a can’t-miss event.

The East’s roster is a blend of the old and new, with the old generation taking a large portion of the starting lineup. Coached by Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, the starting lineup for the East will be more versatile than the West. When Boston’s Rajon Rondo went down with a season-ending injury, there was an opening in the starting lineup for the East. While Irving was the logical choice, Spolestra went with his own player, forward Chris Bosh, to get the start. Thus, the starting lineup for East will look like this: LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Bosh and Garnett. Expect James to bring up the ball most of the time with this lineup, which will make things interesting for the West on the defensive end. Chris Paul, the West’s starting point guard, will not be able to defend ‘The King” one-on-one, so how Western Conference coach Gregg Popovich decides to defend James will be interesting. Off the bench, the East has several offensive weapons, as well as players who will be able to fill roles well. Irving will be the sixth man, and his scoring ability will make the second unit instantly potent. The x-factors for the East (Tyson Chandler and Joakim Noah) will also come off the bench, giving the team a good rebounding presence off the bench. They also have Brook Lopez, Jrue Holiday and others to join in on the fun. The more I look at this roster, the more I really think it is strong from top to bottom.

The West, on the other hand, has two players that worry me. First off, will Dwight Howard be effective? And with his injury, should he even be playing? Also, will Tim Duncan play any meaningful minutes? My guess is no, and the same goes for Tony Parker. But on a positive note, the West has some great scorers. Kevin Durant may be the best in the league, and James Harden will be a great contributor off the bench. They also have Russell Westbrook, Zach Randolph and LaMarcus Aldridge available, which gives them a solid second unit. Their starting unit, consisting off Paul, Bryant, Durant, Blake Griffin and Howard, is very good, but I tend to favor the East’s.

In the All-Star video we posted, I predicted that the West would be the victor in this game. But as Sunday came along, I changed my mind. I’m picking the East to beat the West, and here is why: more scoring and better rebounding. The bench big men are going to be too much to handle, and the West will not be able to handle it. The West may have more scoring off the bench, but with James, Wade, Irving and Anthony, I think the East will have enough to get it done.

Official Right Down Euclid Predictions

Chris Manning:  East 144, West 140, MVP – LeBron James

Zak Kolesar: East 141, West 135, MVP – Carmelo Anthony

Dan Pilar: West 167, East 148, MVP – Blake Griffin