Cavaliers’ Fan Health Awareness: Precaution or Ploy?
February 9, 2010While We’re Waiting… Z Gets a Puppet, Coliseum Thoughts, and the Browns Non Logo
February 10, 2010
New Jersey Nets (4-46) vs
Cleveland Cavaliers (41-11)
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
7:00 PM EST
FSOH/WTAM
The Nets come into this game 42 games under .500 while the Cavaliers are 30 games over .500. I can’t recall the last time I saw a game with 2 teams so distantly separated by wins and losses. I guess this is how the Nets are going to make their best pitch to lure LeBron this summer. “Come join a team with a core of players who won 8 games last season. Hey look, we even have John Wall!!!!” Good luck with that. As for tonight’s game, there was some optimism yesterday that Delonte West would be making his return tonight, but the Cavaliers’ head honchos don’t feel the need to bring him back this early. Windhorst says they may not even bring him back against Orlando on Thursday and may instead let him rest through the All-Star Break. We’ll see what happens. Â
Projected Starting Lineups
New Jersey Nets:
-G Devin Harris (15.8 ppg, 6.3 apg, 1.4 spg, 15.65 PER)
-G Courtney Lee (11.3 ppg, 1.8 apg, .298 3P%, 11.92 PER)
-F Jarvis Hayes (7.1 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 0.8 apg, 7.62 PER)
-F Yi Jianlian (13.5 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 0.9 bpg, 12.78 PER)
-C Brook Lopez (19.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 2.0 bpg, 21.15 PER)
Key Reserves: Chris Douglas-Roberts, Kris Humphries, Trenton Hassell, Terrence Williams, Keyon Dooling, Josh Boone
Injuries: Devin Harris (questionable), Yi Jianlian (questionable), Bobby Simmons (out), Chris Douglas-Roberts (questionable)
Cleveland Cavaliers:
-G Daniel Gibson (6.8 ppg, 1.3 apg, 0.5 spg, 11.45 PER)
-G Anthony Parker (7.1 ppg, 1.6 apg, .452 3P%, 9.10 PER)
-F LeBron James (29.8 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 8.2 apg, 31.58 PER)
-F JJ Hickson (7.2 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 0.4 bpg, 13.95 PER)
-C Shaquille O’Neal (11.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.2 bpg, 18.11 PER)
Key Reserves: Anderson Varejao, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Jamario Moon, Jawad Williams, Danny Green
Injuries: Mo Williams (out), Delonte West (day-to-day), Leon Powe (out)
Team Efficiency Stats
New Jersey Nets:
-Off (89.9 ppg, 38.9 rpg, .423 FG%, 18.0 apg, 14.9 TOpg, Eff-95.4, Rank-30)
-Def (101.5 ppg, 44.1 rpg, .481 FG%, Eff-107.7, Rank-26)
Cleveland Cavaliers:
-Off (101.3 ppg, 42.4 rpg, .486 FG%, 21.5 apg, 14.8 TOpg, Eff-108.4, Rank-5)
-Def (93.9 ppg, 38.1 rpg, .432 FG%, Eff-99.8, Rank-3)
Previous Matchups
Future Matchups
- Wed, Mar 3 at New Jersey
Game Notes
This is the part where most people will tell you that New Jersey isn’t really as bad as their 4-46 record indicates. Well, I’m going to tell you that they really are. You can’t just discount chemistry and say that they have better talent than a 4 win team. The team is what the team is. We’ve seen first hand in Cleveland the impact of chemistry on a basketball team. The Cavaliers have it and New Jersey does not. The Nets have no offensive identity or philosophy and they are almost equally atrocious on defense.
Now, having said all that, as you can see above, the Nets have played the Cavaliers close in both previous matchups. This is because the Cavaliers have a bad habit of overlooking the Nets and playing down to them. The crowd in the Q will likely be more subdued than usual, and it’s going to be up to the players to get themselves up for this game.
When the Nets have the ball, they are a team that shoots an awful lot of jumpers considering they are a team that can’t make jumpers. Despite having just an eFG% of .381 on jumpers, they take a higher than average percentage of shots from both 10-15 feet and 16-23 feet. They also happen to be a pretty bad offensive rebounding team, and that’s a bad combination when you’re missing a lot of shots. It creates a lot of long rebound opportunities for their opponents and as a result they are highly susceptible to fast break points going the other way. The Cavs have been pushing the ball a little more with LeBron running the point lately anyway, so look for the Cavaliers to find a big advantage here.
Defensively the Nets also give up a lot of points in the paint, something the Cavaliers excel at, so I see a major advantage here as well. The Cavaliers can look to run when it’s there, and otherwise try to pound the Nets inside.
The Nets’ best weapon by far is Brook Lopez who is a very impressive young center who has many All-Star appearances in his future. He has absolutely killed the Cavaliers both times these teams have played and was a big part of why these games have been close. Shaq and Varejao must step up their game defensively against Lopez or else all he really needs is one player to get hot from outside and the Nets will have the 1-2 punch they need to keep this game close.
For the Cavaliers, JJ Hickson has not played well against the Nets at all. But being matched up against Yi Jianlian should give JJ some chances to create easy baskets if he can continue to show his strong cuts and active mentality he’s shown the last few games. Jianlian has the length to both JJ a little bit, but JJ has the edge in athleticism. I look to this to be a key matchup in this game. We know the Nets have nobody who can really stop LeBron, and Shaq/Z/Andy/Lopez can all cancel each other out to an extent, which leaves Hickson as the guy who needs to step up in this game. Of course, having Daniel Gibson continue to rain in 3s won’t hurt either.
Vegas Line
Cleveland (-16.0)
Over/Under 189
From The Outside Looking In
Nets Are Scorching
Nets Blast
NetsDaily
Birds Of A Feather
Stepien Rules
Cavs: The Blog
The Wine and Gold Rush
Random Thoughts
Next Game For The Cavaliers
Thursday, February 11, 2010
8:00 PM EST
Orlando Magic at Cleveland Cavaliers
TNT/WTAM
50 Comments
Playing horrible team. Heads already in their mid-season mini-vacations. Blizzard outside.
Beware the trap game.
I see a disinterested cavs team winning a much too close for comfort game.
@ Harv – IT’S A TRAP!
@Denny, IT’S A TARP!
Cavs 1,002 – Nets 85
Hopefully the Cavaliers can rest the starters the entire fourth but I’m going out on a limb and predicting: Cavaliers win by 17; LeBron James leads the Cavaliers in scoring; and TS/Troy Smith posts how good the Cavaliers are and how they don’t need a trade!
Btw Brian Windhorst was on STO’s “All Bets Are Off” with Bruce Drennan and must have said Antawn Jamison would be a perfect fit for the Cavaliers no less then 10x! So how ’bout ‘dem apples TS?
MVP Puppets episode Handshakes featuring the Big Fella Z: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEsJOil26tU
gawd….4-46 is completely amazing…thats un-fricking-believable…how is that even possible?! its like theyre the Washington Generals er something
Z PUPPET!!!
Too bad he’s getting traded…
Omg big z puppet amazing!
I just saw the puppet commercial with “Big Z” in it….awesome. It will be interesting to see if that commercial will still be relevant come next week….
Jack and kory….beat me too it….pretty awesome though
Hahaha shaq and Andy. God I Love this team
Any idea on how much of a pay cut Shaq would be willing to take to resign next year?
Varejao going dunkalicious
christiang – if the cavs managed to win it all; i think it’d be bigger than without a championship.
anyone else feel like Jawad is the only guy who doesn’t fit in?
i feel like he’s constantly trying to get his in order to impress other teams or make an impression on brown. but he always gets in lebron’s way on fast breaks and seems to be the only one who is NEVER in on jokes, or laughing, or giggling, or dancing…it’s just weird.
Don’t want to keep harping on the superbowl but Austin Carr made a good point when he said that Saints was alot faster than people thought. I didn’t think about it at the time but looking back on it, i thought the saints were alot faster beause going into the game, i thought the Colts’ speed would overtake Drew and the saints but it didn’t.
On to the game, how about andy’s dunk?WoW. Cavs looking good.
When Lebron sits and everyone just knows to get Shaq the ball we become a better team. We don’t use as much shotclock and our defense can bring us back in the game.
I’m sold on Shaq, if he wants to come back next year Championship or not I think he gives us an upgrade for the kind of center we need.
And About Jawad, I keep telling people he’s trying too hard. He’s getting minutes I’d rather see Danny Green get simply because Jawad can’t handle a pass thrown by a toddler. He has stone hands and I’ve noticed he cuts to the basket at all the wrong times. A few times Shaq has had to repost because Jawad keeps dragging a defender or two in the paint. People are respecting his ability to shoot the 3, so just stand out there and look pretty. Let Shaq do work.
When Austin Carr is making points about the football game, I stop listening. Wait – when Austin Carr starts talking I stop listening. There, that’s what I meant.
andy 13ps on 6/7 shooting. Good game so far. I know this is going to sound crazy but i don’t wanna see a blow out. I don’t want it to be a nail-biter either but and good game.
Halftime talk: Ya’ll know who our next challenger is, Orlando Magic. Thats going to be a great game. Can’t wait.
I don’t know about ya’ll but i would love to face the Magic or Celtics in the second round. I know we can beat the hawks (thats why i want to see them in the ECF) so i would like to play boston or magic in round 2.
My Wish…………
1.Cavs
2.Hawks
3.Magic
4.Celtics
5.
6.
7.
8.Bobcats, just so we can prove they can’t beat us.
The Hawks scare me more than the Magic and Celtics.
@Denny, LoL, me too but i was surprised he made at good point about something . He should stop calling basketball games and call some Browns games.
Nope, then i would have to watch the Browns on mute.LoL.
You guys suck. AC > you
Please trade Jawad.
What a female dog.
AC just told me he could beat Lopez in a footrace around the arena.
Z and Lebron at the Barbershop: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJ7-ZP1XGwo (Z visits LeBron at the Barbershop to buy bootleg DVD’s). Proof the Cavs dont need to make a trade! Teamwork!
I would not like him with some clowns. I would not like him in some gowns. I would not like him wearing crowns. I DO NOT LIKE TS Trade to Browns.
@ Jack, why are you hating so hard? Are you just kidding around or are you really a true hater? Why would you wanna trade J.Williams? He had a good game and a good season so far considering the minutes he gets. Stop hating Jackie boy.
Please trade nobody. Kthx. J. Williams had a great game.
A W 4 A M V P
43-11 On To The Next One!
RT @ Karsten …. Please trade nobody. Kthx. J. Williams had a great game.
LoL and here goes TS Trade to Browns right on cue but nice work with the link to the puppets I mean I only posted it like 10 posts earlier! UGH.
Kudis to the cavs for bringing just enough to get the job done. Big kudis to mitchum man for having the accurate prediction of the day. Much proops
Boogeyman, what are you the jealous Brady girl? Who cares. Go Cavs!
LeBron has some serious clout. a Z puppet?!?!!? LOVE IT!!!!!!!!
“they’re gonna need some hand sanitizer after that.”
@Typo
You may be my favorite person on here… much proops to you. HAHA
it’s golden
@34 I think you have me confused with Jack (see #27) who wrote you a poem but seriously, Jack has a point! I do agree with you about the Go Cavs part tho. 🙂
Greg Proops?
It’s a decent poem… It makes me cringe thinking how much time he wasted thinking it up though.
I has a proposition. Yes, I has.
Boogeyman, if we do not trade anyone this season, and we win it all, you drink a bucket of Cuyahoga River water.
If we make a trade, and win it all, the rest of us will bake you cookies.
If we lose Lebron, we ALL jump in the river. And don’t come out.
I watch the games wondering what you fools are writing on here and Im never anywhere near close. Its an unpredictable science.
@40 Yawn…if you can’t comprehend how the Cavaliers would benefit from a trade that’s your problem but between this site specifically the work by Jacob along with reporting from Brian Windhorst and others there are plenty of other people who agree more with me then you. Have a nice day! 🙂
@ boogeyman – please refer to this.
Didn’t know this website had all this drama. This is the website i come to, to chill and talk sports and relax. Why is there silly “internet beefs” going on and Denny i know you’re not talking, after the way to talked to me on that superbowl page.
Calling me stupid for stating my opinion.Remember that? You all need to grow up and chill out. Its just sports.
Jay= The truth
(For some) Sports= life
One thing I would like to add.
We all know those people who get in front of a keyboard and start talking [MattyFos edit: Poo Poo is the substitute]. I play COD MW2 on XBox live and you come across all of these kids who will run their mouths about doing this to yo momma, or doing that to yo girlfriend. There are people out there who, because the internet is so impersonal, feel the need to act like a bunch of fools. It happens on Xbox live and it happens on WFNY. These people know they can talk POO POO because
1. You don’t know who they are
2. You/They don’t know what they/you look like
3. You/They don’t know where they/you live.
It’s a reality and it happens everywhere.
The point I’m trying to make is, you can try to talk sense into these people. But, all you’re going to get in return is more trash talk.
@MattyFos, you’re right. I know because it happens on every website but i thought this website was cool and maybe it still is, its just a few kids playing around. No one can be young forever, gotta grow up sometime.
My favorite part is how stubbornly and seriously he continues to take his e-crusade about this. When I was talking about jumping in rivers and baking cookies. Lighten up.
Denny I read it and even eluded to it when told by another user what to do yet again, did you read that? I think your just bitter because I called you the court jester (was joking) but if you want to be sheriff you should apply the same laws to everyone and not just one person. Just my OPINION.
[…] no actual preview today. I was going to suggest taking a look at the preview for the last time we played the Nets, but after checking it out myself it seems really out of […]