CLEVELAND — Once the lights dimmed and delirium began to sweep through Quicken Loans Arena on Tuesday night, the Knicks retreated to the visiting locker room. They wanted no part of the ring ceremony, and they had no interest in bearing witness to the raising of a new championship banner.

Those rewards belonged to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Knicks were trying to prepare for a game — and a new season. They were about to wade into the crucible of an 82-game schedule by facing a fearsome opponent, and that seemed to be the way they wanted it.

“Why not accept that challenge?” Carmelo Anthony said before the game.

The Knicks have reason to feel cautiously optimistic about the season ahead, but the Cavaliers, with their 117-88 victory, dealt them a dose of reality. Hard work remains for the Knicks, who committed too many turnovers, got caught on too many back screens and struggled to make enough shots.

“There’s a lot of room for improvement,” Derrick Rose said.

It hardly helped that the Cavaliers’ LeBron James notched the 43rd triple-double of his career, collecting 19 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds, or that Kyrie Irving finished with 29 points.