Knicks start fast, roll past Donovan Mitchell and shorthanded Cavaliers

CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers approached this game, almost right to the opening tip, with the sort of gamesmanship and intrigue that would normally not arrive until the postseason with a best-of-seven series and the end of someone’s season on the line.

But as the Knicks and Cavs readied for this meeting there was talk of debts and payback for the Knicks knocking Cleveland out of the playoffs last season. There was bulletin board material with former Knicks general manager Scott Perry explaining on.a podcast why the team didn’t complete a trade for Donovan Mitchell last summer — saying he wasn’t the sort of singular force that could carry a team. And finally, there was the status of Mitchell, who was listed as questionable all the way until the starting lineup was announced shortly before game time.

The mystery over Mitchell’s status was something the Knicks never seemed to believe and the mystery of this first meeting between the two teams lost its intrigue quickly, too, as the Knicks jumped out early and dominated, leading by as many as 23 and coasting to a 109-91 win at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

While the Knicks expected to get the best the Cavs had, there was some knowledge that this isn’t the true test and that may not come until the postseason. And Cleveland entered this game shorthanded. Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen, both starters and important pieces of the Cavs roster, were ruled out with injuries Tuesday, and Caris LeVert, a key bench piece, was a late scratch.

The challenge seemed more like being able to name everyone that the Cavs sent into the game. Mitchell had a game-high 26 points, but just six after halftime as the game got out of reach and he went to the bench. His play wasn’t nearly enough to offset the Knicks numbers with five players in double-figures led by Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson with 19 each.

Still, it was a tight game with the Knicks up four early in the third quarter. Just 89 seconds into the half…