It was the unsung heros that pushed the Cleveland Cavaliers to snap their four-game losing skid to the New York Knicks at Quicken Loans Arena on Wednesday night.

It was the athletes that most people consider to be “roster fillers”, usually unable to fill up the stat sheets with astounding numbers on a consistent basis.

It was the guys who one wouldn’t normally expect to play aggressive enough to hold Amar’e Stoudemire to just 19 points, when he averaged 30 points against the Cavs in the 2010-11 season.

This 91-81 victory over the Knicks was a true victory to the Cavaliers bench, who provided the spark that made up for the leading scorer’s shortcomings on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor.

The little things, that turned out to be so much larger and essential than we assume, changed the outcome of a game that the Knicks were ready to call their “W” after a 17-2 run in the second quarter.

After being down by as much as nine points, Kyrie Irving (seven points, seven assists) intercepted a Knicks’ pass and dished the rock to Antawn Jamison (15 points, five rebounds) for a lay-up, giving the Cavs the upper hand 45-41. The scoreboard read 45-45 going into halftime.

Carmelo Anthony had just seven points in the first half, ending the game with 15 points.

“The thing that kept us in the game was our defense in the second quarter,” head coach Byron Scott told the media after the win. “To go in at halftime at that particular point tied up, I think we all felt pretty good about the way we were playing because, offensively, we couldn’t throw the ball in the ocean.”

Samardo Samuels, the young big man who is still trying to pick up an offensive game as well as earn minutes, contributed six points and six rebounds to the Cavaliers cause. He found his rhythm not only under the basket, but also around it. Hitting a few jumpers at a crucial time for the Cavs in the third quarter gave the squad 69-64 lead.

A nine point effort from Ryan Hollins was also an oddity; Hollins doesn’t usually see many minutes due to his lack of rebounding and scoring. He was 4-of-4 from the field, and if he can use his size to the advantage of the Cavs, he will continue to help, not hinder, the Cavaliers.

“Everybody seemed to pitch in tonight,” said Scott. “I think from the beginning of the game to the end of the game, our guys were really focusing on stopping the bleeding, especially here at home.”

The final minutes of the game played out in a fun fashion, with Alonzo Gee (seven points, six rebounds) sealing the deal for the Cavs with his aggression. With eight minutes left, Gee stole the ball and sped past Landry Fields, soaring with a thunderous dunk.

Gee wasn’t the only Cav who “threw the hammer down”, as legendary Cavalier Austin Carr would yell enthusiastically. Anderson Varejao made up for teammate Irving’s scoring inability that night by playing off the point guard’s assists and finding his way to the hoop.

One of the most memorable moments was a one-handed dunk by Varejao over Tyson Chandler with just three minutes left, a message to the Knicks that the game was over and done.

“We’d lost four games straight and we knew we had to do something different in tonight’s game,” Varejao said. “We just tried to play hard. I’m always trying to help this team and trying to be active on defense and pushing everybody.”

Varejao pestered the Knicks with his double double Wednesday, posting 10 points and 16 rebounds.

“He brings a toughness here and it’s contagious,” Irving said of Varejao. “It was contagious throughout the entire game, even through our bench. The bench is just as important as the starters, so it feels good to win.”

The Cavs will host the New Jersey Nets Friday, Jan. 27. Tip-off is at 7:30.