_amon _ones
Needa Beer?
- Joined
- May 25, 2007
- Messages
- 1,652
- Reaction score
- 775
- Points
- 113
RECORDS
Cavs: 34-26 (2nd in Central, 4th in Eastern Conference)
Bulls: 24-36 (3rd in Central, 10th in Eastern Conference)
AT
INSIDE
HEAD COACHES
Mike Brown | Jim Boylan
POINT GUARDS
Delonte West | Kirk Hinrich
SHOOTING GUARDS
Devin Brown | Larry Hughes
SMALL FORWARDS
LeBron James | Luol Deng
POWER FORWARDS
Ben Wallace | Drew Gooden
CENTERS
Anderson Varejao | Joakim Noah
Cavaliers Rotation
DJ | Wally World| Smith | DW
Cavaliers Injuries
Pavlovic| Big Z | Boobie
· Sasha Pavlovic (Left Foot Sprain) is out.
· Zydrunas Ilgauskas (Back Strain) is out.
· Daniel Gibson (Left Ankle Sprain) is out.
Bulls Rotation
Gordon | Nocioni | Simmons | Gray
Bulls Injuries
Sefolosha | Thomas
· Thabo Sefolosha (Left Groin Strain) is day-to-day.
· Tyrus Thomas has been suspended two games for missing practice.
Cavaliers Notes
·LAST MEETING: 3/2/2008 Cleveland 95, Bulls 86 @ The Q
·LeBron James scored a game-high 37 points and added six rebounds and six assists in the last meeting. Putting the Bulls in their place:
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·The Cavs were outrebounded 44-39 for the game but outscored the Bulls 30-18 in the 4th quarter of the meeting on March 2nd, 2008 to pull away for a 9 point victory.
·Wally Szczerbiak has scored in double figures in all four of his games with Cleveland. He scored his Cavaliers high with 17 points on 6-13 shooting against Chicago on Sunday. He scored eight points and hit two three-pointers in the fourth quarter of the Cavs win over the Bulls.
·Joe Smith and Ben Wallace combined for 15 points and 14 rebounds in their first game against their former team.
·Ben Wallace has grabbed eight or more rebounds in four of his five games with Cleveland. He has averaged 8.0 points on .552 shooting, 8.8 rebounds and 1.0 block in 31.4 minutes per game in a Cavs uniform.
·LeBron James was named NBA player of the month...again. In 14 games during the month, James averaged 30.2 points on .498 shooting, 8.9 rebounds and 8.5 assists per game, posting 9 double-doubles. James also won the award for the month of January when he led Cleveland to an 11-3 record by averaging 32.8 points, 9.2 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game. How can LBJ be player of the month twice in one season, lead the league in scoring, be the first player since the Big O to average 30-8.5-7.5 (in fact, the only other player besides Oscar), but not be considered the top candidate for the MVP?!? **** the National Media...that's just ludicrous
·Over his last nine games, LeBron James has averaged 31.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 8.9 assists per game. He has scored 25 or more points in 18 straight games and 20 or more in 36 straight games.
·In his five games with the Cavaliers, Delonte West has averaged 10.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.0 block per game. He is the only guard in the NBA with at least those numbers during the five-game stretch (Feb. 24-present).
Bulls Notes
·Chicago leads the all time series, 95-74, but is only 6-11 since LBJ was drafted.
·Kirk Hinrich led the Bulls with 12 assists against the Grizzlies on March 4th, adding 19 pts and 4 blocks
. Drew Gooden had 21 pts and 14 rebounds to lead the Bulls.·Former Cav Larry Hughes led the Bulls with 23 points on 8-20 shooting, adding 5 rebounds and 4 assists in the last meeting.
·Former Cav Drew Gooden led the Bulls with 10 rebounds and added 11 points on March 2nd.
·Ben Gordon leads the Bulls in scoring, averaging 19.3 ppg.
·Since the trade with the Cavs, Larry Hughes is second on the team in scoring (17.2 ppg) and assists with 4.3 apg (Kirk Hinrich, 6.1 apg).
·Drew Gooden leads the team in rebounding since his arrival (10.2 rpg). No other Bull is averaging over 6.7 rpg...for the season (Luol Deng).
_amon's Keys to the Game
·Attack the inside. The Bulls acquisition of Drew (and subsequent departure of Ben Wallace) has made Gooden the defacto presence on the inside. Not a good sign for the Bulls. As those of us who've witnessed his "presence" inside for the last few years, Drew is soft, and a little lacking on the defensive side. He is now considered the veteran, with Noah starting at center, and the raw Thomas as the first big off the bench...but with his suspension, Cedric Simmons might be the only big off the bench. Without Z, this won't be as easy as it should be, but there is no reason for LBJ to not attack the rim...either Drew will rotate late, and leave the backdoor open for AV or Big Ben, or he won't rotate at all, allowing LeBron to penetrate all night long...not unlike Dirk Diggler in his prime.
·Force Larry into his bad habits. Larry helped the Bulls stay in the game for the first 3 quarters, even helping them to a lead. But his bad habits (and LBJ's suffocating D) brought out the LH that Cavs' fans were used to...chucking up 18 footers with 20 ticks left on the shot clock, trying to prove he is more than a slasher. If the Cavs can force Larry into what they were used to seeing the entire game, the Bulls shouldn't be able to keep it as close as last time. Oh, yeah, and Bulls fans be forewarned...Drew had a monster game against the Grizz...expect horrid production and boneheaded plays galore for the next 4 games to make up for it.
_amon's Prediction
Cavs 94, Bulls 88
Cavs 94, Bulls 88
·The hope is that the Cavs blow away the Bulls. The Cavs are a much better team and the Bulls only threat from inside is Drew. Unfortunately, without Z, Joe Smith is the only real offensive threat from the inside, apart from LBJ driving the lane. The good news for the Cavs is that the Bulls are full of "me-first" gunners, either playing for a big payday (Deng and Gordon), or because it's "fun" (Larry)...winning or losing doesn't really figure into the Bulls equation. The Cavs are still trying to assimilate the new guys into the offensive and defensive schemes, as well as , get AV back up to speed, but it has been tough with all of the injuries the Cavs have had. Still, a very winnable game, as the Cavs play much better as a team (even with new players) and are much better, talent-wise, than the "me-first" gunners of the Bulls. This game will be similar to the last one, with the Bulls sticking around for 3 quarters, then LeBron taking over in the 4th, with Deng, LH, or Gordon trying to match him...and losing the battle handily.
Obligatory Luvabulls Shots
(with some extra pics for CCF...since it's in his backyard
)
(with some extra pics for CCF...since it's in his backyard
)
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