It’s been quite the busy week for me but I’m gettin’ back to it this afternoon with a look at tomorrow night’s matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Here’s how both teams matchup:
Baron Davis v. Daniel Gibson
In his tenth year in the NBA, Baron Davis continues to produce steady numbers from the point guard position. He accounts for better than 16 points a night to go along with 8 assists and nearly 2 steals. Daniel Gibson has been playing solid basketball as of late but does not match up well with Davis simply because he’s just not that strong. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Davis resort to a little bit of a post game against the much smaller Gibson.
Advantage: Baron Davis
Eric Gordon v. Anthony Parker
Ya know, I am becoming a bigger and bigger Anthony Parker fan as the season goes on. The guy does the little things like knock down open jumpers and play excellent defense on the opponents’ premier players. He has not allowed guys like Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant to get to the rack and has forced these guys to be jump shooters. Eric Gordon is averaging 17 points a night for the Clips but he just doesn’t have the same stroke that Kobe or Durant have. I don’t expect Gordon to get many clean looks and, therefore, have to give the advantage to a consistent AP.
Advantage: Anthony Parker
Rasual Butler v. LeBron James
Rasual Butler tore apart the Cavs for a season-high 33 points on January 16. Considering he averages almost 11 points a night for the Clippers, I am going to go out on a limb and predict that Mr. Butler will not go off for 30+ again on Sunday. With that being said, 30+ points still would not give him the advantage over the NBA’s best player. LeBron has been playing an absolutely insane brand of basketball as of late and I am really not sure that anyone in the world can stop him.
Advantage: LeBron James
Marcus Camby v. JJ Hickson
JJ Hickson was left off of the sophomore squad that will play on All-Star Saturday so I expect the Baby Bull to play with the same “want-to” as he did at the beginning of the season. However, an A+ JJ Hickson still doesn’t have what it takes to stop Marcus Camby. Camby probably will not score too much (as usual) but he definitely provides the Clippers with a paint presence on the defensive end.
Advantage: Marcus Camby
Brian Skinner v. Shaquille O’NealOkay, let’s be serious. Brian Skinner is 6’9” and 255 pounds. If he has to guard Shaquille O’Neal for a long span on Sunday night, he is going to get bowled over. O’Neal has been playing very good basketball in the absence of Mo and Delonte and I don’t expect that to change come Sunday.
Advantage: Shaquille O’Neal
LA Bench v. Cleveland Bench
Al Thornton and Ricky Davis provide a solid right hook off the bench for the Clippers. But Cleveland is way too deep for arguably any team in the league to match up with. Anderson Varejao leads the way for the Cavs as he continues to lead the league in +/- ratio. Zydrunas Ilgauskas has settled in to his new role coming off the bench and has flourished in that role as of late. Jamario Moon just returned to the floor after nursing an abdominal injury for several weeks and has jumped back into the rotation with a few very impressive outings while Jawad Williams continues to give a consistent effort every night.
Advantage: Cleveland Bench
Prediction:
After another road trip to Indiana on Friday night, Cleveland returns to the Q where they will play every game until after the All-Star break. Yes, that same All-Star break that only LeBron James has plans for.
But it’s cool because, in Cleveland, we’re more about the team aspect more than we like to bother ourselves with the individual achievements. Now that’s not say guys like Shaquille O’Neal and Anderson Varejao aren’t just a tad bit perturbed by their being left off the roster because they most definitely are. And that’s why the tandem of big men will be the game breakers for the Cavaliers.
The Cavs begin the game going right to their legendary big man and O’Neal delivers for four straight buckets to give Cleveland a 8-2 advantage. Over the next four minutes Shaq accounts for six more points to go along with a sweet no-look pass to LBJ for the slam.
Enter the Wild Thing and Cleveland’s success comes directly from the defensive side. Andy blocks a pair of shots while harassing Al Thornton before tossing in a reverse lay-up at the buzzer. Cleveland leads 32-24 after one.
Varejao remains in the game to start the second quarter and notches five straight points for the Cavs as they claim a quick 13 point advantage. O’Neal and LeBron return to action late in the second quarter to contribute their own run and the Wine and Gold go up 58-46 heading into the break.
LA has anything but consistency on the offensive side of the ball but when they score, they score in bunches. Baron Davis leads the charge to open the second half and matches his season average in the third quarter to close the gap to 71-68 going in to the fourth.
The fourth quarter contains a bit of LeBron James and a whole lot of Shaqtastic. O’Neal goes punch for punch with the Clips and the game remains tight with just minutes remaining. Mike Brown removes his free throw liability from the contest and selects Andy to check in. After getting burned by Camby on the defensive end with 1:30 left, Andy slices to the hoop and flushes home the two handed slam to give Cleveland the lead for good. A pair of free throws from LeBron seals the deal and Cleveland wins 96-92.
CAVS WIN +4
Tune in to the Wine & Gold Podcast tonight with Brendan Bowers and Glenn Moore an hour before tip-off.