New York Knicks: What the Cleveland win does and doesn’t mean

Any time the New York Knicks beat the Cleveland Cavaliers on the road, it’s huge. But careful consideration should be placed on exactly what the win means.

The New York Knicks and Jeff Hornacek have every right to be proud of their win against the Cleveland Cavaliers. As Marc Berman of the NY Post pointed out, Hornacek made difficult decisions in the game plan and rotation that could have backfired if the Knicks lost.

Seeing Michael Beasley and Willy Hernangomez with zero minutes in the box score looks like a misprint. But the lack of Beasley and Willy is true, and it worked. Likewise, the emergence of Jarrett Jack relegated Ramon Sessions to bench duty and that’s exactly where he needs to stay. Primarily because a now healthy Frank Ntilikina looks more comfortable with every minute he plays.

With all that being said, this Knicks win says even more about the condition of the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs have no interest in playing defense and their point guard situation is a mess. In no basketball universe should a LeBron James-led Cavaliers team lose to the New York Knicks at home.

Both teams came into the game at an early season crossroads. The Cavs organization knows it must put a winning team around LeBron to keep him in town but don’t want to sacrifice their future. Comparatively, Knicks management walks a fine line between building a competitive team and losing enough to earn a lottery pick.

Every win in the NBA means something and this one was extra special for New York. However, it’s a long season and games in October rarely resemble the same matchup in February or March. Either way, the Knicks victory does say a lot about the future of both teams. So, what does the win mean for the New York Knicks?