The Cavaliers and Knicks are streaking

If you’ll allow us to both look back to last night and forward to tonight all in one post, we’d like to take this opportunity to compare two streaks, both of which sit at nine games as of this morning.

The Knicks, losers of nine, play host to the Cavs, winners of nine, tonight at Madison Square Garden.

Both teams participated in blowouts last night, and comparing postgame comments is absolutely fascinating, if you’re into this type of thing (basketball). Cavs first:

“We feel like we can beat anybody right now, home or away,” [LeBron] James said. “We’re very, very close to being a great team and it is coming at the right time. But we still have to prove ourselves in the playoffs.”

Fair enough – optimism mixed with determined reality. Let’s take a listen to the Knickerbockers:

“Besides my mom passing away when I was 18, this is top three, definitely, just because this is my livelihood. It’s like a funeral, man,” [Steve] Francis said, his eyes welling up. “That’s what it feels like.”

Jesus. We know Steve can be a little sensitive, but it must really be awful in the NYC. We obviously wonder what the third event in his top three horrible things is, but there are more pressing matters.

That’s Cavs-Knicks, termed in some circles already as “The Ultimate Battle”. Being that New York hasn’t simply lost nine in a row, but been blown out nearly each and every time, the issue of how many points Cleveland should spot them tonight must be addressed.

Yeah, Z tweaked an ankle against the Sixers and Hughes is knocking off the rust, but soon-to-be-MVP King James is playing better than anyone in the NBA and, well…the Knicks are comparing being a Knick to their mothers dying.

We’re not even joking – you could give the Knicks 25 points and they’d lose by 10.