This game sees the 1-2 Cleveland Cavaliers take on the 1-1 Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. Cleveland Cavaliers C Zydrunas Ilgauskas PF Ben Wallace SF LeBron James SG Delonte West PG Mo Williams Key Bench Players: Daniel Gibson, Anderson Varejao, Wally Szczerbiak, Sasha Pavlovic @ C Erick Dampier PF Dirk Nowitzki SF Josh Howard SG Antoine Wright PG Jason Kidd Key Bench Players: DeSagana Diop, Jerry Stackhouse, Jason Terry Dallas Mavericks Key Matchup: PG - Mo Williams v Jason Kidd Mo Williams has looked decent so far for the Cavs; there's room for improvement but he looks as though he's fitting in alright so far. He's coming off a game where he was absolutely torched by Chris Paul, who went for 24 points and 15 assists whilst Williams himself got 11 points, 4 assists, 4 fouls and 4 turnovers. He will face Jason Kidd tonight, and could be in with a chance to make more of an impact if he can avoid falling into the traps of Dallas' veteran guard. If Williams allows Kidd to control the game, we might see a big game for both Kidd and the Mavs. If Mo can just get in his face an frustrate Kidd (a tall order, it must be said) he will increase the Cavs' chances by a country mile. Cavaliers' Keys to Victory Get LeBron James going - LeBron is having a pretty poor start to the season. He has started poorly for a a game or so before, but never before has he been poor for the first three games of a season. His averages against the Mavs are solid (29-6-6) and he will no doubt want to see a game in like with his 5 straight games with 30+ points against the Mavs, rather than his 10-5-4 performance from last season. If he can't improve his game, the Cavs will be in serious trouble. Rebound hard - one of the things worth noting from the game against the Hornets is that the Cavs managed just a paltry 36 boards. For a team that was the second best at getting rebounds last year, things were always going to be tough for them as a result. The Mavs are a better rebounding side than the Hornets, so the Cavs must be stronger under the glass as it is a fact that when the dominate the boards, they tend to dominate (or at least win) the game. Play tough D - if the Cavs are too lax on defense, the Mavs will truly make them play. Kidd will find gaps in the defense before they even know they've made them and the likes of Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry will take full advantage of the easy buckets. The Cavs are unlikely to win unless they can prevent these easy buckets. Mavericks' Keys to Victory Keep frustrating LeBron - LeBron is likely to be more tense than usual tonight as he really needs a big game to get his season under way. He is shooting just 62.5% from the free throw line this year, so one tactic could be to send him to the line a lot. If he starts to miss, he could start to fall away for the whole game. There is a chance that it could cause him to get annoyed and start to dominate, but the Mavs might be willing to take the chance. Play big in the third - the Cavs' average differential in the third is -6.3 points and this includes the game in New Orleans where they suffered their collapse in the fourth. The Cavs suffer from third-quarter-itis where they play badly in the third, or at least the beginning of it, (in general) and this is something all teams must look to exploit. A nice run to start the third could help to kill off the game for the Mavs. Make the Cavs pay at the line - this game involved the best free throw shooting team (the Mavs, who shot 81.5% last year) and the 3rd worst (Cavs, who shot 71.7%). This is a massive difference, and is often a major reason why the Cavs lose close games. The Mavs must remember this, and should not be afraid of ensuring this game is decided at the free throw line, because if it is, they will almost certainly win. Prediction Since 2003, the Mavs have been one of the Cavs' "bogey" teams. They have won just three out of the ten games they have played, and average 93.1 points to the Mavs' 98.8 points. The main worry for the Cavs is the lacklustre play of their superstar LeBron James. Whether it is the new offensive system that is troubling him, the new personnel or simply just being in a rut, he needs to turn it around before it becomes a real issue. Unfortunately, I think the Mavs are a smart enough team to know what to do to continue frustrating him. It is much more likely that LeBron's improvement will come on Wednesday or Friday against Chicago or Indiana in Cleveland. So, tonight, since I can't see LeBron having a huge game, I think the Cavs will lose to the Mavs. 92-97
We still love you Jamie. We just don't give a crap about the Cavs. When LeBron comes over to Brooklyn we'll accept you.
Instead of making my own game thread, I figured I'd help you make this thread more active. Maybe you'll do the same next time the Mavs play your Cavs. Go Dallas!
What's the deal with Terry? He's really been struggling. And Bass hasn't been too effective under Carlisle.
watched the game last night......mavs look old and once again do nothing in the 4th.....3 points in the entire perioud with about 4 minutes to go won't get it done..........Cavs looked good and shot the ball pretty well....Bron had his best game of the year thus far, as did Mo Williams who was on FIRE in the 4th............good win for cleveland.
Man I called this game so wrong, lol. Oh well, at least it was for the better, I was prepared to be 1-3.
