May 19, 2013

Game Preview: Cavs @ Bucks [UPDATE: LeBron Out]

March 6, 2010 by 84 Comments

Cavs BucksThe Basketball Cavaliers look to keep their 6-game win streak rolling in Milwaukee tonight, playing the sixth-placed Bucks at 8:30 PM EST. The Bucks have been playing well as of late, going 8-2 in their last 10 games, currently on a two-game win streak.

The big test in this game for the Cavs will be matching the inside game of Andrew Bogut. The Cavs still are thin in the frontcourt, though we may see Leon Powe some tonight. The Bucks also have Gumby-haircut-aficionado/rookie guard Brandon Jennings, who can go boom-boom and drop a ton of buckets on any given night.

The Cavs should match up just fine against the Bucks, who are currently 16 games behind the Cavs in the Central Division. While there have been no updates as of 3 PM regarding LeBron’s ankle that was bothering him last night, it is likely that he will play. LeBron’s out, coach’s decision.

With that, we come to the pertinent statisticals:
Cavs: Offense: 100.3 ppg, 113 pts/100poss, 48.6 FG%, 51.9 eFG%, 24.5 FTA, Off. Efficiency: 109.4 (Rank = 2); Defense: 91.4 ppg, 102 pts/100 poss, 43.1 FG%, 46.8 eFG%, 23.1 FTA, Def. Eff: 101.1 (Rank = 7)
Bucks: Offense: 115.5 ppg, 105 pts/100poss, 43.7 FG%, 48.2 eFG%, 23.9 FTA, Off. Efficiency: 101.5 (Rank = 23); Defense: 114.2 ppg, 103 pts/100 poss, 45.4 FG%, 48.9 eFG%, 32.3 FTA, Def. Eff: 100.9 (Rank = 6)

Other Meetings:
Dec 6 @ Milwaukee W 101-86 recap
Dec 18 @ Milwaukee W 85-82 recap
March 31 vs Milwaukee

Television/Radio: FSN Ohio, WTAM 1100

[UPDATE] – LeBron is out tonight, likely out Monday against the Spurs as well. Sorry for the late notice, dinner happened.

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  • Jake In Ohio City (Natty The Dog)

    anyone know about Delonte being suspended yet? I think if he is out in the post season our front court is doomed.

    That kid plays hard regardless, and is consistent.

    Maybe trade Mo this offseason for a veteran 2 guard with an expiring.

  • jimkanicki

    @boogey — that’s surely the analysis that will prevail on espn.com.

    but when your ‘allstar’ PG delivers 7 pts on 3/16 shooting, one could also conclude that an average performance by mo would have delivered an away win against a playoff team.

  • MattC

    Mo has had enough play to not be rusty any more. I think the problem is he just flat out is an inconsistent player. It really reminds me of the way DA turned out with the Browns.

    Oh well, I’m glad Bron got the rest. The Bucks are a tough team and they shot lights out at the end. It is a shame to give a game back when the Lakers are on a bit of a slide, though.

    As for the people panicking, come on… half our starting lineup is out!

    Finally, it might be good for Jamison to get to be “the man” for a couple of games scoring-wise. I could see the confidence in his jumper growing and growing over the course of the game.

  • http://bitmatt.com bitmatt

    Pretty good showing outside of Mo. Just saw Tony Parker broke his hand- Spurs are done. I bet LeBron rests Monday too. That’ll be good, get that ankle right.

  • historycat

    So will the national headline be:

    Struggling Mo and short handed Cavs drop one against Playoff bound Bucks.

    OR

    CAVS WITHOUT LEBRON ARE THE WORST TEAM EVAR!!!!!

  • http://bitmatt.com bitmatt

    And I know we are all down on Mo right now, me too- but let’s not forget how good he was going before he got hurt. He’s a shooter, he’s got to shoot to get it back. It is just a slump, people. Happens to all shooters through the course of a long NBA season, especially when that season is interrupted by a shoulder injury.

  • http://bitmatt.com bitmatt

    @historycat- ESPN will spell it “EVAR!!!!!” just for emphasis too. Marc Stein will write the column, it’ll be great.

  • http://www.waitingfornextyear.com Denny

    @ Jake – I believe that there’s a hearing in April. Things have been pushed back repeatedly, and I wouldn’t be surprised if things get pushed back into late June. That being said, we really know nothing of what could happen.

  • MattC

    @bitmatt – I sure hope you’re right. To me it reminds me of DA: One-time all star, had us really excited, electrifying style of play, some obvious deficiencies to his game, but then choked when the stakes were up and he’s been anything but consistent the following year. He had a nice run for a bit there before that injury, but let’s not forget how awful he was at the start of the season at several points, too.

  • http://www.msblsim.com boogeyman

    The Cavaliers offense is terrible they couldn’t use LeBron as an excuse since he didn’t play but if you watched the game you saw no one other then Delonte West penetrated and everyone just stands around. They are talking about it in the post game but it’s really the same old problem and it starts with the point guard. If Mo Williams isn’t shooting well he should be able to setup teammates by penetrating and handling the ball the problem is if Mo can’t shoot he’s virtually worthless.

    Oh and Mike Brown next time you wanna rest LeBron check the schedule for an opponent like the Nets or Knicks and not the Bucks or maybe Spurs. Brown said LeBron’s ankle wasn’t why he chose to rest him so that’s not an excuse.

  • http://bitmatt.com bitmatt

    Jake- last I heard Delonte’s trial is in April, but Windy said he didn’t think it would be hard for his legal team to get a continuance until after the playoffs. Any league suspension would take place next season in that event. So, good news there.

  • http://bitmatt.com bitmatt

    boogeyman- LeBron is resting more for the sprained ankle than general fatigue I think. If his ankle was right he’d go, you know that. He was noticeably limping last night after the game.

  • historycat

    @60

    I disagree. This was a good team to sit him against. If you sit him against the dregs of the league then the media angle will be, what an insult it is and they have bulletin board material.

    Sitting them against a potential 8 seed doesn’t do that, and gives you a better idea of how the team can do while challenged. and we have a 3 game lead on the rest of the NBA. Good opportunity, and great timing. Even if we drop on against the spurs we still have the best record.

  • MattC

    @Historycat – Totally agree. LeBron needed the rest, bottom line. We can’t afford to get short-sighted this year, either us the fans or the team/players. He was definitely hurt and that played a huge role, but I think the rest was good regardless.

  • http://bitmatt.com bitmatt

    historycat- Right on. And since Tony Parker is out now, I bet LBJ will sit against the Spurs too. Mike Brown is saying it isn’t the ankle, but that has to be part of it. I’m glad LBJ can sit a bit- he’s the only guy on the team that didn’t have a break over All-Star weekend, so he could use it.

  • http://www.waitingfornextyear.com Denny

    @ MattC – THESE WILL HELP WITH SHORT-SIGHTEDNESS:
    Glasses.

  • http://bitmatt.com bitmatt

    Wondering why Darnell Jackson got minutes & Leon Powe didn’t? That’s a little weird.

  • MattC

    Thanks Denny, but I already got a pair. I see Lasik in my near future.

  • http://www.waitingfornextyear.com Denny

    Well, MattC, it’s good to know that your vision isn’t so bad that you CAN’T SEE Lasik in your future. Get it? Because you said you can SEE it…… :/

    Mo tweeted apologizing to fans for his performance. At least he’s aware he played like butt. Admitting it is all you can ask from him really.

  • MattC

    That tweet was nice of him. Like others have said, when push comes to shove, Mo is just a limited player. If his shot isn’t falling, he isn’t much good. That’s all there is to it and that won’t ever change. Let’s just hope he’s getting it out of his system now and can knock em down come playoffs.

  • http://bitmatt.com bitmatt

    @MattC- regarding DA/Mo comparison- DA just had the one “good” season. Mo has a track record and has been a terrific scorer before he was a Cavalier. Just a slump. A bad one, yes- but he’ll straighten out. The big problem with Mo in general is that when his shot isn’t going he doesn’t have something else he can go to to help the team. He is a weak defender, and his defense gets worse when his offense is cold. He isn’t a great assist guy, and that doesn’t get better either since he’s got to shoot until he gets it back. So, we just need to ride it out. I wish he’d drive into the paint more, maybe draw some fouls. Get a rhythm at the line, maybe it helps the jumper. Couldn’t hurt the team’s free throw average.

  • http://www.msblsim.com boogeyman

    @62 Brown said before the game his decision to not play LeBron had nothing to do with his ankle so that takes care of that but regardless a few of us have been mentioning how many minutes LBJ has been logging. A week or so ago I talked about how abused LeBron was and before long it would catch up – guess what – it caught up. After the All-Star break you could see #23 not shining as bright but he played through it unlike a Mo Williams.

    @63 No offense but that makes no sense being afraid what someone else might say, who cares, you don’t think there won’t be comments after the loss tonight? I don’t need proof on how this team would play without LeBron unlike alot of other people. You take him away and this team would be lucky to be a #8 seed in the playoffs.

  • http://www.waitingfornextyear.com Denny

    Um, boogeyman – coaches aren’t exactly under subpoena when they get interviewed by the media, especially regarding players’ injuries. I think it’s pretty obvious that LeBron’s ankle plays into the equation in sitting out tonight. Just because Mike Brown said it didn’t play a role in his decision does not, in fact, mean that it didn’t.

  • MattC

    You’d have be a total mental midget to believe that the ankle had nothing to do with sitting. Good decision no matter what though.

  • http://www.msblsim.com boogeyman

    Well then Denny perhaps he should make less of a point next time otherwise what he says in addition to his coaching will become questionable. Personally I don’t care I’m just making the point of restating what the Coach of the Year said is all. Brown might also want to consider a way to help his star rather then ride him into the ground but we both know that isn’t going to happen.

  • http://bitmatt.com bitmatt

    boogeyman #72- Yes, you’re right- this basketball team is not as good when their star who happens to be the best player on the planet takes a night off. This is not exactly a revelation. I don’t think the ’96 Bulls would have won 72 without Jordan either, especially since they won what, 47 the year before without him?

    Really, people- everything will be just fine. Or it won’t, but it won’t be because of one loss to the Bucks in a month where the Cavs may not lose again.

  • jo

    This was a great game for a few reasons:

    1. West and Jamison proved they belong on this team.

    2. (Hopefully) Mo will see how bad hes done (I’m sure he’s known this whole time but it may be more evident to him) and work harder to get back to his form.

    3. And a Cavaliers team without 3 important players (without a true center to combat Bogut) played a pretty good game if you take out Mo’s horrible shooting night.

  • jo

    Also, to me, LeBron sitting was a great decision.

    Brown knew we could win this game without him (and we could have) and he is trying to rest LeBron for many reasons as well as judging the talent of the players on the floor. This game may have just got Delonte a starting job, or he may stay on the bench and play when LeBron is sitting. Brown is playing with rotations to see who can play without LeBron, and IMO it was a good decision because we should have won this game.

  • whipjacka

    mogotti2

    “I apologize to all my fans and Cavs fans for a sh!tty performance to say the least. I will get past this a get better, stay with me pls”

  • jimkanicki

    first off, i really appreciated mo’s tweet.

    that said. much as i’d like to view mo as ‘in a slump’ i’m inclined to ask the question: is mo capable of stepping up when we need him? we needed him tonite and we needed vs orl last year. he wasn’t there. delonte, huge. antawn, huge.

    and all of this is ok provided we (mike brown) learn from it. the lesson being: rethink the prevailing wisdom that mo is our #2 goto guy. as for me, i’d like to start giving delonte more opps to be clutch here is season, to prepare him for some of that in the playoffs.

    also… disappointed to see jj’s game evaporate without lbj tonite.

    in any case, none of this is fatal and i view all this as positive in that we’re learning these lessons now versus in the playoffs.

  • Karsten

    We had no Lebron, no Shaq, no Z, no Boobie. I bet y’all that Boobie could have been the third guy who would have stepped up and knocked down his shots, like he so effectively seems to do in clutch situations.

  • http://www.waitingfornextyear.com Jacob Rosen

    The Bucks are an above .500 team that has now won 15 of their last 19 games… Am I mad about this one? Sure any loss stings. But as has been stated in previous comments, it’s not the end of the world. Cavs still have the stranglehold on East lead and NBA lead. Lakers play at Orlando tomorrow so that should be entertaining.

  • Jake In Ohio City (Natty The Dog)

    After going to bed, and waking up this morning. This loss isn’t that bad anymore.

    I don’t know if I can watch a game without Lebron though.

  • JM

    Did Mo apologize for not showing up in last years’s playoffs too? I kid I kid! Anyway big deal they lost without LeBron in there. I’m not worried.

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