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LeBron struggles as Cavaliers drop season opener to Knicks

Jason Miller / Getty Images Sport / Getty

LeBron James's triumphant return to Cleveland was anything but, as the Cavaliers dropped their season opener by a score of 95-90 to the New York Knicks.

The Cavaliers led for much of the first half, but were ultimately doomed by a horrendous offensive performance. Knicks guard J.R. Smith sunk a hook shot in the lane with under a minute left to give New York a 90-85 lead they would not relinquish.

Despite the great fanfare and excitement that preceded Cleveland's season opener, the star-studded Cavaliers looked sluggish for much of the game. Poor passes, stagnant movement and missed rotations were the norm for the Cavaliers, who looked to be suffering from a bout of nerves and inexperience.

Many of the Cavaliers' struggles centered around James, who shot just 5-of-15 for a total of 17 points to go along with eight turnovers. James looked hesitant, and made a number of uncharacteristically poor decisions on offense.

The Knicks' defense on the pick-and-roll stymied the Cavaliers' offense. By dropping a big back into coverage, and forcing action towards the sidelines, the Cavaliers ball handlers were forced to either drive into traffic, or to reset the offense. As a result, the Cavaliers shot just 45.7 percent from the field, and committed 19 turnovers.

With James struggling, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love tried to fill the void, chipping in with 22 and 19 points apiece. However, their effort was not enough to overcome Carmelo Anthony, who led all scorers with 25 points on the night.

The loss puts Cleveland at 0-1 on the season, while the Knicks even out their record at 1-1.

Highlights of the Night

LeBron James returns to Cleveland

Snorman's post on Vine

The chalk toss also returns to Cleveland

cjzero's post on Vine

James's first points of the season (off a beautiful outlet pass from Kevin Love)

gifdsports's post on Vine

Quincy Acy is a beast

Kevin Rashidi's post on Vine

Photo of the Night

LeBron James's unsightly shot chart

(Courtesy: NBA.com)

BONUS: Taylor Swift changes her allegiance

Postgame Quotes

​LeBron James

On the learning curve: "I was throwing the ball where I thought my teammates will be.... Those things will come."

On the emotional toll of the night: "I'm glad it's over." 

Kevin Love

On why the Cavs struggled: "We were sloppy with the ball. We didn't get into any of our sets. Gotta give some credit to the Knicks too."

Shawn Marion

On the pregame introductions: "It felt like the Super Bowl or some sh**."

Cavs coach David Blatt

On LeBron: "First of all, that was an emotional night for him. He wanted badly to win the game and help the team play well. ... We've got to do a better job of getting him the ball in motion."  

On his sparing use of Marion and Mike Miller: "That's on me. Those guys need to play more." 

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