Knicks Preview: Keys to Defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers

Oct 30, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) defends New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) at Quicken Loans Arena. New York won 95-90. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

1. Carmelo Anthony vs. LeBron James

It’s an unspoken truth that Carmelo Anthony gives LeBron James mountains of trouble when the two meet head-to-head. Perhaps it’s Anthony’s revenge for a Rookie of the Year snub, or maybe it’s some form of basketball God voodoo.

Regardless of why it transpires, it does.

According to Basketball-Reference.com, Anthony leads the head-to-head series by a count of 12-11. In two meetings in 2014-15, James shot just 12-of-32 from the field.

Anthony didn’t fare much better in the second go-round, but he thoroughly outplayed James during the first encounter.

Unfortunately, Anthony is coming off of a game during which he was dominated by Kawhi Leonard. He shot just 4-of-17 from the field, marking the third time in four regular season games that he converted less than 40 percent of his field goals.

The good news: Anthony scored 37 points less than a week ago. New York will need an encore to win this game.