GT: Dallas Mavericks @ Cleveland Cavaliers

bbwchingy0007 · Oct 29, 2007

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October 31, 2007 @ 8:00pm EST
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH
ESPN
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Cleveland Cavaliers
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Dallas Mavericks
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<h4 align="center">Projected Starters</h4>
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PG Daniel Gibson SG Larry Hughes

SF LeBron James PF Drew Gooden C Zydrunas Ilgauskas


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PG Devin Harris SG Jason Terry

SF Josh Howard PF Dirk Nowitzki C DeSagana Diop


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<h4>Last Season Stats</h4>
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<td class="strong">Scoring</td>
<td>96.8PPG</td>
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<td class="strong">Field Goal %</td>
<td>44.7%</td>
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<td class="strong">3-Point %</td>
<td>35.2%</td>
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<td class="strong">Rebounds</td>
<td>43.5 RPG</td>
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<td class="strong">Assists</td>
<td>20.8 APG</td>
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<td class="strong">Scoring</td>
<td>100.0PPG</td>
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<td class="strong">Field Goal %</td>
<td>46.7%</td>
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<td class="strong">3-Point %</td>
<td>38.1%</td>
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<td class="strong">Rebounds</td>
<td>41.9 RPG</td>
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<td class="strong">Assists</td>
<td>19.0 APG</td>
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<h4>Last Season Team Leaders</h4>
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<td class="strong">Points</td>
<td>James 27.3 PPG</td>
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<td class="strong">Rebounds</td>
<td>Gooden 8.5 RPG</td>
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<td class="strong">Assists</td>
<td>James 6.0 APG</td>
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<td class="strong">Points</td>
<td>Nowitzki 24.6 PPG</td>
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<td class="strong">Rebounds</td>
<td>Nowitzki 8.9 RPG</td>
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<td class="strong">Assists</td>
<td>Terry5.2 APG</td>
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<h4>Key Matchup: SF - LeBron James v Josh Howard</h4>

v
With Pavlovic and Varejao still not re-signed with the Cavs, LeBron James needs to bring his A-game night after night if the Cavs are to even stand a chance of retaining their NBA Championship. Tonight, it will be up to Josh Howard to try to contain LeBron and, if he can do a good job, the Mavs should be able to easily win the game. Howard's gangly arms could help him here, as the key is to stop LeBron from driving and make him shoot a perimeter jumpshot. If he starts hitting that too, you might as well just walk off the court; nothing could stop him then.
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<h4>Keys to the Game</h4>
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<ul>[*]Win the Battle of the Boards - It's going to be tough without the help of Varejao, but rebounding remains a strength of the Cavs that they must make full use of, especially if they want to win big ball games such as these. If they can out-rebound the Mavs, they will have laid the building blocks to a W.
[*]Hit open shots- One of the most frustrating things about watching the Cavs is the way that they go through phases; sometimes hitting every shot possible, sometimes missing them all. If they are to win tonight, they need to hit all the open looks they get.
[*]Don'tPanic if things go wrong- Another weakness of the Cavs is the way they panic when they start to play badly. They need to focus on the task, and claw back at a steady rate. They can be sure that LeBron will find a way of scoring, and must aid him in every way possible by creating space for themselves for an easy pass from the King.[/list]
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<ul>[*]Lock down on LeBron - As I mentioned in the previous segment, if LeBron is stopped there will be virtually no chance of the Cavaliers winnning this game. Therefore, Objective #1 must be to lock down on him and hope to at least contain him.
[*]Keep an eye on DanielGibson- As was over-publicised last season, Daniel Gibson can get hot from the outside. If he does, he can be lethal. It is therefore worth keeping an eye on him, and if he starts hitting shots, make sure that someone is there to stop him from continuing to do so.
[*]Play Mavs basketball - If you allow the Cavs to control the tempo and style ofthe game, it is likely that you will lose, because their style has been engineered to get the most out of LeBron. If, however, you can stop them playing their way, you are on a fast-track to victory. This especially accounts for Drew Gooden, who can often find himself out of position on the defensive end of the floor.[/list]
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<h4>The Cavs since 2003 v Dallas</h4>
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<td colspan="2">The two teams have met 8 times. The Cavaliers have won just twice, averaging 96.1 PPG, whereas the Mavericks have won six times, averaging 101.9 PPG. LeBron James averages 31.5 PPG (his second best), 6.1 RPG and 5.8 APG against the Mavericks. In each of the last six games against the Mavs, LeBron has scored at least 31 points, with his highest being 46. If he can continue this trend, the Cavaliers will be sitting pretty with a very good chance of winning the game.</td>
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<h4>Prediction</h4>
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It's a tricky one this time around. The Cavs will have huge home support as they welcome back their Eastern Conference Championships in their quest to retain that title and, perhaps, go one step further (though that is extremely unlikely). LeBron is out to prove something this year, having already made the statement that it will be his best year yet. On the other hand, however, you have the Dallas Mavericks, playing in their first competitive game since their suprising defeat to the 8th seed Warriors in the 1st Round of the Playoffs. I think it will be a close match, but I think the Cavs might just be able to win the game, thanks to huge home support.

97 - 93
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Shapecity · Oct 29, 2007

This is a great opportunity for Boobie Gibson to show his playoff run was no fluke and he deserves to be in the starting five. This will be a defensive game, but I think Dallas depth puts them over the top on opening night. Dallas has stewed all summer over their upset in Round 1 of last year's playoffs and I expect them to play at a high level with a chip on their shoulder for the entire season.

I don't think it's possible to lock down LeBron James. Dallas is better off locking down the other four players on the court and not sending defensive pressure LeBron's way. He's too, good passing out of double teams and hitting the open man for high percentage shots. When LeBron's teammates get going they are tough to beat, so the key is to keep them out of rhythm and put all the pressure on LeBron to score points.

Dallas needs to control the rebounding in this game and box out Gooden when those shots go up. He's very crafty at slipping his man for tip ins or to bat the ball back out for second chance opportunities. Dirk better know where he is at all times and not leak out on the wing leaving the responsibility on a teammate to grab the rebound.

Great job with the preview Chingy!

Dark Defender · Oct 29, 2007

Nice game thread.

Diop is supposedly in the best shape of his life so I'm very curious to see how he does.

pegs · Oct 29, 2007

The idea of Diop vs. his old team and Howard vs. Lebron should make this a pretty interesting game, with a good storyline. I'll prolly end up watching this one.

o.iatlhawksfan · Oct 29, 2007

I think Dallas will win rather easily

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GT: Dallas Mavericks @ Cleveland Cavaliers

bbwchingy0007 BBW Member

Shapecity S2/JBB Teamster Staff Member Administrator

Dark Defender The Dark Passenger

pegs My future wife.

o.iatlhawksfan ROFLMFAO!!!!

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GT: Dallas Mavericks @ Cleveland Cavaliers

bbwchingy0007 BBW Member

Shapecity S2/JBB Teamster Staff Member Administrator

Dark Defender The Dark Passenger

pegs My future wife.

o.iatlhawksfan ROFLMFAO!!!!

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