Atlanta at Cleveland <div align="center"> <font color="Red">Atlanta Hawks</font> (19-40) @ <font color="DarkRed">Cleveland Cavs</font> (24-36)</div> Wednesday, Mar. 3, 7:30 pm Eastern Gund Arena, Cleveland, Oh TV: FS Ohio, NBA TV Vegas Line: Check back gameday Season Series: Cavaliers 1, Hawks 1 Previous Game Cavaliers 81 @ Bulls 92 Magic 104 @ Hawks 99 (Play <font color="Purple">Lakers</font> today) Last 10 Games Cleveland: 5-5 (Lost 1) Atlanta: 4-6 (Lost 2) Head Coaches Paul Silas/Terry Stotts Probable Starters Jeff McInnis/Jason Terry LeBron James/Boris Diaw Eric Williams/Stephen Jackson Carlos Boozer/Chris Crawford Zydrunas Ilgauskas/Joel Przybilla Injury Update Cavaliers Ruben Boumtje Boumtje J.R. Bremer Hawks Chris Mills Obinna Ekezie Alan Henderson <div align="center">Players To Watch </div> FOR THE CAVS TO WIN * Shutdown Terry and Jackson, and you stop there offense. * Attack the post as Przybilla is there only defensive presence. * Boozer to play aggressive as he can dominate Crawford in the paint. * Attack the hoop and draw fouls. Atlanta have no depth! * Crash the boards! We have a huge advantage there! FOR THE HAWKS TO WIN * Hit your outside shots. Cavaliers dont defend well here. * Crawford to draw Boozer away from the hoop with his range game, keeping him off the boards. * Penetrate, penetrate, penetrate. Draw fouls on Z. * Work overtime on hustle plays, offensive boards to stay in the game. * Run isolations for Terry! THOUGHTS ON THE GAME Tough to give an accurate analysis on the Hawks with their continual player turnover in the past month. Add to that they are cruelled by injuries with Brandon, Mills and Okezie all out for the season and Henderson, Person and Rebraca all nursing varying injuries. But if you think the Cavaliers should take this game as a booked win, you only have to think back to the Chicago debacle to see that Cleveland isn't a good enough team to take nights off! KARMA's CALL Atlanta struggle badly on the road and have changed their roster Cavalier style to be favourite to get the No.1 draft pick! For the Cavs, this is a must win and although results have generally been favourable elsewhere they need to do their bit to get that playoff spot. The Hawks game is an oppotunity to get that confidense level up with a lopsided victory. Even though Cleveland doesn't blow teams away, this is an oppotunity to do it at home with their far superior talent level. This is a game we should expect to win well if the desire is there! <u>Cavaliers by 14!</u>
I don't know, I would have to hope we could beat the Atlanta Hawks, but I would have to bet that the Cavs will make it close, but in the end Cavs will win by about 5 CAAAAAAAAAAAAVVVVVVVS WIN THE CAaAaAaAVVVVVVVS WIN
Nice preview Karma. Hopefully we don't lay an egg like we did against the Bulls, but I think we've bounced back from disastrous losses so far this season.
Wins at home are important. Wins at home against cellar dwellers are essential. We can dominate this game in the paint. Please Booz, dont allow Crawford to score 20 odd points. Thats our killier. the "other" players.
Thanks for doing the preview Karma. No doubt about it, we need to win this game, but at the same time I am scared to death of it too. I feel better about this game since we got killed in Chicago, so if I had to bet it would be on the Cavs.
Hopefully, the Bulls debacle served as a wake up call to the Cavs that they haven't arrived yet. This is a favorable match up for the Cavs, but the Hawks can't be discounted. They are up on the Lakers at half time right now. Crawford has been going off lately since the trade. This doesn't bode well for us since opposing PFs have field days against us. I'll take Cavs by 10, simply because I can't think of us losing two games in a row to the worst teams in the NBA.
That false sence of security should have been smashed out of the system after that Chicago disaster. Thanks Redscoon for the edit!
While after last night we could expect anything from the Cavaliers. A blowout loss isn't out of the question, but I expect us to rebound strongly win a solid win at home!
Nice win by the Hawks on the Kobeless Lakers. We should take lessons on how to take advantage of teams missing players! They will be confident, but I hope we are pumped to get back on track!
Crawford has definitly been on a mission. He's had an increase in playing time lately and the last 6 games he's averaging 20 pts and 6 rbds. He puts it up from anywhere, and lately has even been mixing in a few 3's at about 33%. His achilles heel is Defense. New Jersey fouled him out in 25 minutes. He fouled out again tonight against LA. In a couple other games lately he's had 5. Remedy for Crawford?? .........take it right to him!!.......Tank
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting tankster:</div><div class="quote_post">Crawford has definitly been on a mission. He's had an increase in playing time lately and the last 6 games he's averaging 20 pts and 6 rbds. He puts it up from anywhere, and lately has even been mixing in a few 3's at about 33%. His achilles heel is Defense. New Jersey fouled him out in 25 minutes. He fouled out again tonight against LA. In a couple other games lately he's had 5. Remedy for Crawford?? .........take it right to him!!.......Tank</div> This is the type of matchup Boozer was taking advantage of last month. Can he find that old form??? We really need a step up, so one of those 20+ games from him is a start! It seems that both Z and Booz cant put it together on the same night!
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting cArMeLo15:</div><div class="quote_post">Hawks by 7. Cavs gonna get struck when they least expect it.</div> The Cavs never expect to win, you can see it in their body language and attitude.
Lakerbeaters or not... we'd better win this game. Carmelo15, just curious, how come you're not a Cavs fan if you live in Ohio?
Bobble heads never actually look like the player. They look like todum polls. All he needs is a spear and a sheild.
Bobble LeBron and heads will roll <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> LeBron James bobblehead dolls are guarded more closely than the Cavaliers rookie star is on the court. More than 10,000 of the collectible dolls arrived at Gund Arena on Monday in an armored car protected by pistol-wielding guards. Why all this security? To keep fans happy. </div> Full Story
