QB Wanted…an interview with MGoBlog
February 4, 200802/05 Morning Minute: So Long, Bobby
February 5, 2008Boston Celtics (36-8) vs Cleveland Cavaliers (26-20)
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
7:00 PM EST
FSNOH/WTAM
Time for another measuring stick game. Unfortunately, the Cavaliers will once again have to face Boston while missing a key player. Anderson Varejao missed game 1 against Boston this year, LeBron missed game 2, and Varejao will not be in the lineup again as the Cavaliers take on the Celtics. Fortunately, the Celtics will be without the Big Ticket, Kevin Garnett. Will the Cavs be able to overcome a short bench to beat the Celtics again at home, as they did the first time? Or will another Boston juggernaut run over them again?
Starting Lineups
Boston Celtics:
-G Rajon Rondo (9.7 ppg, 4.6 apg, 1.8 spg, 14.74 PER)
-G Ray Allen (18.2 ppg, 2.9 apg, 37.2% 3-pt, 16.15 PER)
-F Paul Pierce (20.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 4.9 apg, 19.10 PER)
-F Brian Scalabrine (1.8 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 0.1 bpg, 5.54 PER)
-C Kendrick Perkins (7.3 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.2 bpg, 12.91 PER)
Cleveland Cavaliers:
-G Larry Hughes (10.3 ppg, 2.3 apg, 32.2% 3-pt, 10.12 PER)
-G Ira Newble (3.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 0.3 apg, 14.84 PER)
-F LeBron James (30.1 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 7.2 apg, 30.06 PER)
-F Drew Gooden (11.5 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 0.6 bpg, 13.07 PER)
-C Zydrunas Ilgauskas (13.8 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 1.5 bpg, 19.36 PER)
Team Efficiency Stats
Boston Celtics:
-Offense (99.3 ppg, 41.4 rpg, .471 FG%, .769 FT%, 21.7 apg, Efficiency-107.3, Rank-9)
-Defense (88.2 ppg, 38.4 rpg, .419 FG%, Efficiency-94.3, Rank-1)
Cleveland Cavaliers:
-Offense (97.0 ppg, 44.5 rpg, .437 FG%, .722 FT%, 19.3 apg, Efficiency-102.2, Rank-17)
-Defense (97.6 ppg, 41.1 rpg, .459 FG%, Efficiency-102.9, Rank-11)
Game Notes
The Cavaliers come into this game as the hottest team in the Eastern Conference since Christmas, going 14-4 over that span, including 11-3 in the Eastern Conference. Zydrunas Ilgauskas has been a big part of this run, playing some of his best basketball of the season. LeBron James has been pretty unreal in his own right over this run. We’ve seen much improved play from Larry Hughes and the bench has been pretty productive over this stretch, with solid play from Daniel Gibson, Damon Jones, and Devin Brown.
The Celtics seem to bring the best out of the Cavaliers, as they have won 10 of their last 13 against Boston, including 5 straight at the Q. LeBron James and Paul Pierce have one of the best rivalries in sports going. These 2 guys love facing off against each other. Pierce is one of the few true star small forwards that LeBron gets to guard. Both guys are going to be especially up for this match up as each guy looks to help make up for key losses to the lineup in Anderson Varejao and Kevin Garnett. The Cavaliers will need to really take advantage of their biggest advantage over the Celtics, rebounding. Especially with Garnett out of the lineup, the Celtics are pretty thin in the frontcourt and the Cavs should be able to really crash the boards and create extra possessions for the team.
The Celtics are the best defensive team in the NBA. Granted, they will be missing one of their best defenders in Garnett, but this is still a team that does a good job closing out on the perimeter and really making it difficult to find open looks. They force their opponents into tough shots and they keep their opponents’ field goal percentage down. Without Garnett, look for Glen Davis to provide extra energy and size off the bench. Davis could be key on the boards to help keep the rebounding gap close. The Celtics backcourt is phenomenal with Rondo distributing and Allen knocking down shots. But the key to Boston’s offense is always Paul Pierce. LeBron and Pierce will go head to head, and each will likely get their fair share of points. As always, when these 2 teams face off, it will be fun to see which guy can get the big plays from their supporting cast to get their team over the top.
Vegas Line
Off
[print_link]
2 Comments
If we had Andy I would feel much better about this game. Yeah, even without Garnett this one is going to be tough.
Lets hope that a lack of open looks doesn’t mean that Larry Hughes decides to take waaaay to many bad shots. *crosses fingers*