LeBron James opened the 2016-17 season with a bang, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 117-88 victory against the New York Knicks on Tuesday. James recorded a triple-double with 19 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds, shooting 9 for 14 from the field and looking like the best player in the world. It's safe to say he picked up where he left off last June.

The other members of the Cavs' Big 3 started strong, too. Kyrie Irving toyed with defenders and finished with a game-high 29 points on 12-of-22 shooting. Kevin Love looked spry on his way to 23 points, 12 rebounds and three steals -- yep, he's making defensive plays again!

Takeaways:

1. LeBron isn't easing his way into the season

This won't shock you, but James looks ready to defend his championship. His teammates missed a bunch of open jumpers in the first half, but he picked apart the Knicks' poor defense all night. His stat line was obviously insane, but it was more than that. He controlled the game like the enormous point guard he is.

Sometimes, teams are sluggish after receiving their championship rings. Sometimes, they're too excited. James brought a ton of energy, and he kept Cleveland organized. It was clear less than two minutes into the game that he meant business when he threw an absolutely absurd pass to a cutting J.R. Smith:

Look at that. The awareness and timing displayed there is ridiculous. Nobody but LeBron makes that pass. There is no one like him.

LeBron James dunks on opening night
This photo tells the whole story of the game. USATSI

2. The Knicks' starters looked ... OK, I guess

Regardless of the lopsided final score, there were legitimately encouraging signs here. Carmelo Anthony started the game hot. Derrick Rose had his moments when attacking the basket. Most important, Joakim Noah looked mobile and locked in, making all sorts of helpful plays on both ends.

It looks like running high pick-and-rolls with Rose and Kristaps Porzingis will generate open looks consistently. Porzingis can affect the game in so many ways -- you can't ignore him on the perimeter, rolling to the basket or crashing the glass.

The problem, though, is that New York's big names were mostly out for themselves offensively -- Anthony had three assists and Rose had only one. The two of them did not make an effort to get others involved, and Courtney Lee seemed genuinely surprised whenever he touched the ball. As the season goes on, those two dominant ball handlers are going to have to break some bad habits so the team can find a collective rhythm.

This might take a while, especially with Rose missing training camp. He was sloppy with his ball handling, turning the ball over four times in the first half.

3. The Knicks' bench is ... a work in progress

There's a reason most analysts called New York's depth its Achilles' heel. When the Knicks trotted out a Brandon Jennings-Justin Holiday-Lance Thomas-Kyle O'Quinn-Willy Hernangomez lineup, I was actually shocked. Coach Jeff Hornacek needs to stagger his play makers better -- that all-bench unit will get destroyed pretty much every night.

The good news: Holiday was in fine form, playing his typical brand on smart individual defense and at one point making back-to-back 3-pointers. He could have a breakout season, but Hornacek needs to find units that have a balance of defense and play making and put these guys in the best position to succeed. Thomas, for example, is much better as a power forward than a small forward, and that group puts too much of a burden on Jennings to create.

4. Smooth sailing on both ends for the defending champs

Not only did Cleveland create open shots pretty much whenever it wanted, its defense was rock solid for most of this game, and that had something to do with the Knicks' failure to establish any kind of offensive rhythm. This also started with James, who was roaming all over the place and even protecting the basket -- look at this block on Courtney Lee:

New York shot a miserable 36 percent from the field, and Anthony was unable to sustain what he started in the first quarter. The Cavs did everything they were supposed to do.