New York Knicks stun Cleveland Cavaliers, 95-90, in LeBron James' return home

CLEVELAND, Ohio – In a night that started out so memorably, the ending sure left a sour taste as the New York Knicks defeated the Cavaliers, 95-90, on Thursday night at The Q in the Cavs' season opener.
New York's Carmelo Anthony led all scorers with 25 points.
Kyrie Irving led Cleveland (0-1) with 22 points, four rebounds and five assists. Kevin Love supplied 19 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.
LeBron James struggled offensively in his return home, finishing with 16 points on 5-for-15 shooting in addition to five rebounds and four assists. He also committed a game-high eight turnovers. Going into tonight's game, it was all about his homecoming, but the Knicks killed that storyline.
The Cavaliers seemed fueled by the emotions in a sloppy first quarter that ended with a 25-18 lead. But for the rest of the game the home team looked spent -- particularly on offense as possession after possession was lost in inaccurate passes. Only Kevin Love -- 14 first-half points on his way to 19 points and 14 rebounds -- seemed a reliable option.
James deferred to his teammates almost without exception in the first half, and never found a rhythm at any point. The Knicks successfully double-teamed him several times, and his teammates looked uncertain as to where to best be open.
The atmosphere around the sold-out Quicken Loans Arena was electric with thousands of fans camped around just to get a taste of this unprecedented moment. It was pandemonium inside The Q. Fans were on the edge of their seat, not knowing what to expect.
"My sense is that people are firmly behind this team and behind this project and they're excited, anxious to get it going," Cavs head coach David Blatt said before the game.
The stars showed up to check out the scene, including pop star Justin Bieber, R&B singer Usher, Knicks super fan Spike Lee, Browns backup QB Johnny Manziel and cornerback Joe Haden, former NFL player Michael Strahan, former Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar and actor/comedian Kevin Hart.
The Nike commercial featuring James and the city of Cleveland was shown on the brand new video board a few minutes before lineup introductions. The moment it appeared, the crowd erupted with cheers and few tears were shed.
James was standing by the team's bench looking up, watching the entire commercial. He didn't say a word. He didn't move. He just watched it as if he was soaking up the moment.
"None of us should take this moment for granted," James said before the game. "This is probably the biggest sporting event. It's up there, ever."
Emotions were all over the place and it didn't end there.
When James walked to the scorer's table, fans stood up holding confetti that was provided by the organization. James brought back his patented chalk toss and the crowd threw up its confetti at the same time, reminiscent of the old days.
However, that was the extent of the good times. Cleveland has a road meeting with the division-rival Chicago Bulls on Friday night.