_amon _ones
Needa Beer?
- Joined
- May 25, 2007
- Messages
- 1,652
- Reaction score
- 775
- Points
- 113
RECORDS
Cavs: 29-23 (2nd in Central, 4th in Eastern Conference)
Rockets: 32-20 (4th in Southwest, 8th in Western Conference)
AT
INSIDE
HEAD COACHES
Mike Brown | Rick Adelman
POINT GUARDS
Larry Hughes | Rafer Alston
SHOOTING GUARDS
Ira Newble | Tracy McGrady
SMALL FORWARDS
LeBron James | Shane Battier
POWER FORWARDS
Drew Gooden | Luis Scola
CENTERS
Zydrunas Ilgauskas| Yao Ming
Cavaliers Rotation
DJ | D. Brown| Boobie | Hot Donny
Cavaliers Injuries
Pavlovic| Verajao | Boobie
· Sasha Pavlovic (Left Foot Sprain) is out.
· Anderson Verajao (Left Ankle Sprain) is out.
· Daniel Gibson (Strained Right Hamstring) status to be updated...according to the Cavs game notes (umm...ok, considering he played in the Rookie-Sophomore game and won MVP honors).
Rockets Rotation
Bonzi | Head | Brooks | Hayes
Rockets Injuries
Francis | Head
· Steve Francis (Torn quadricep tendon in right knee) is out.
· Luther Head (Groin strain) is questionable.
Cavaliers Notes
·The reigning MVPs from the weekend's All Star Extravaganza Return from NOLA
·LAST MEETING: 2/7/2008 Cleveland 77, Sonics 92 @ Houston
·LeBron James scored a game-high 32 points and added seven rebounds and six assists in the last meeting.
·The Cavs were outrebounded 55-35 for the game and outscored 52-38 in the second half of the meeting on February 7th, 2008.
·Drew Gooden missed the last game due to a right groin strain.
·Larry Hughes added 13 points.
·Over his last 10 games, LeBron James has averaged 33.1 points on .490 shooting, 8.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 2.2 steals per game. He has scored at least 30 points in seven of the 10 games and has scored at least 20 or more points in 30 straight games. He is the first player to have that many consecutive games of 20 or more points since Allen Iverson posted 33 straight games of 20 or more points from March 26, 2006-Jan. 2, 2007.
·Since January 1, the Cavaliers have gone 15-6. During that stretch, Cleveland is tied for the best record among Eastern Conference teams.
·
Larry Hughes has averaged 33.0 points on .605 shooting, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game in his last two outings. He has posted games of 40 points (at Orlando on Feb. 11) and 26 points (Feb. 13 vs. San Antonio). Over his last eight games, he has averaged 20.5 points on .457 shooting and 5.0 rebounds per game. He has scored in double figures in all eight games.·Cleveland is 14-11 against Western Conference teams this season which marks the third best record among Eastern Conference teams against the West.
·Zydrunas Ilgauskas is currently 22 points shy of 9,000 for his career. He would become the sixth Cavalier in history to reach 9,000 career points.
Rockets Notes
·Yao Ming’s 22 points and 12 rebounds led the Rockets in the last meeting.
·Yao Ming leads the Rockets in minutes (37.2), points (22.2), rebounds (10.8), and blocks (2.12) per game and is 4th on the team in assists per game with 2.4.
·T-Mac is averaging 21.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg, and 5.4 apg in 37 games played this season.
·Mike James, considered a significant acquisition before the season began, has played in only 33 of the 52 games (only 7 of the last 26), even though he has not been injured.
_amon's Keys to the Game
·Attack Yao early and often. He has good statistics, but he usually shows up soft on the interior. At 7'6" he is going to get his blocks, almost by default (see: Manute Bol), as he is just too large not to get a piece of the ball sometimes. But, Yao is not strong, nor much of a finisher, and can get pushed around by any big with good strength.
·Keep Larry in the zone. In one way, it's actually a shame that the All Star Break came when it did. The Cavs, as a team, definitely needed the rest, and a chance to let some lingering injuries heal, but the way LH has been playing in recent weeks, I would hate to see him cool off...or let some injury sneak in from the rest. The Cavs need to get Larry the ball early and often, and hope that he continues his ascension back to the ranks of the player the Cavs expected when they signed him.
_amon's Prediction
Cavs 99, Rockets 93
Cavs 99, Rockets 93
·The Cavs want some redemption after a tough loss in the last game in Houston. They were outclassed on the boards by 20, a stat they usually dominate. They are also trying to stop a 2 game losing streak at the Q, a loss to the Champion Spurs preceded by a 30 point shellacking at the hands of the Nuggets. The Rockets are a well coached and well rounded team that is deeper than the Cavs, but they are pretty soft on the defensive end, and really are only 2 deep scoring-wise. This game should be close throughout, with the Cavs pulling away when 4th quarter James shows up, and T-Mac disappears.
Obligatory Cavalier Girls Shots
