This game sees the 0-0 Charlotte Bobcats take on the 0-1 Cleveland Cavaliers at The Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavaliers have a great record against the Bobcats, having won 12 out of their 15 meetings, averaging 102.6 points per game, whilst conceding 96.6. LeBron James averages 27.6 points, 8.7 rebounds and 7 assists against the Bobcats, including a 37 point, 11 rebound and 12 assist-triple double and a monstrous 19 rebounds to go with 31 points and 8 assists. After a slightly lacklustre performance against the Celtics on Tuesday, Cavs fans will hope that LeBron can put on a display like he did in the second games last year, where he finished with 45-7-7. Charlotte Bobcats C Nazr Mohammed PF Emeka Okafor SF Gerald Wallace SG Jason Richardson PG Raymond Felton Key Bench Players: Adam Morrison, D.J. Augustin @ 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 Cleveland Cavaliers Key Matchup: SF - Gerald Wallace v LeBron James The Bobcats really need to stop, or at least contain LeBron James if they are to stand a chance of winning tonight. In games where LeBron has scored more than 20 points against the Bobcats, the Cavs are 10-1. It is going to be up to Gerald Wallace, and possibly Emeka Okafor if/when LeBron slides to the 4, to try to contain LeBron. If they can just about contain, slow, or even frustrate him, the Bobcats might just be in with a chance, but if not, they could get torched. Bobcats' Keys to Victory Contain LeBron James - as above, when LeBron has scored 20 or more against the Bocats, the Cavs are 10-1. That statistic pretty much speaks for itself. Try to encourage Cavs to shoot - the Cavs are not a great jump shooting side (bar a few players). If they can encourage the likes of LeBron James, Sasha Pavlovic and the rest to shoot jumpshots, they might get lucky. If, however, these players catch fire from the field, as we know they can, the Bobcats could be in a whole world of trouble. Play smart - if the Bobcats play the Cavs at their own game, on their own floor, they will lose. They will have to use every trick in the book to put them off, and make simple passes and shots as the defense rotates. If they miss too many of these opportunities (which we know will occur) they might as well not turn up at The Q. Cavaliers’ Keys to Victory Hit jumpshots - I would expect a lot of small ball to be played tonight. LeBron James will have to be double-teamed a lot tonight, especially if he gets hot from the floor. With double teams comes the inevitable open players. If the lineup consists of Ilgauskas, James, Pavlovic, Gibson and Mo, the Cavs should be able to get a lot of easy shots. Run - the Cavs looked good when they ran against the Celtics; they really seemed to fluster the best defense in the League at times. If they can try to run on offense (and slow the Bobcats down on defense) they should get a lot of easy buckets and some explosive plays to really put the game beyond doubt. Make a statement - if the Cavs want to be considered as genuine, they must show that they can easily beat the weaker teams of this League such as the Bobcats. Whether this is by a huge winning margin, or by playing LeBron for severely reduced minutes and still win, it doesn't matter, but what is important is that they send a message out to the rest of the League. Prediction To be honest, this should be pretty much a no contest for the Cavs. They are the superior team at almost every position (bar Ben Wallace v Okafor and West v Richardson). They reallly need to show their strength in depth tonight (as they did against the Celtics where the bench played really well) to show teams that they are not just a one trick pony (with that trick being LeBron). If the game is close, which it shouldn't be, LeBron ought to be able to bail out the Cavs. 89-104
Great analysis chingy. I think it'll be an easy game for the Cavs to win. I'm expecting 34 pts from LeBron.
