Game 46 | Cavs @ Heat - 8:00 PM (ET) - TNT

[Smooth]

Game #46

Cleveland Cavaliers [26-19] VS. Sacramento Heat [20-25]

Thursday, February 1st , 2007
8:00 PM ET
Radio = WTAM 1100
Television = FSN Ohio/TNT
American Airlines Arena [Miami, Florida]
Cavs Uniforms

Heat Uniforms

​

​

Head Coaches

Mike Brown | Ron Rothstein


Starting Backcourt​

Point Guards​

Daniel Gibson | Gary Payton​

ESPN's Daniel Gibson Scouting Report​

The Cavs' second-round pick played point guard in college, but his inability to set up shots for teammates doesn't bode well for his ability to do the same as a pro. Gibson has good size for a point at 6-3 and he's a decent shooter who also can attack the basket. However, he seems too small to play shooting guard and he's not a great athlete. He might have trouble defensively even at the point, and almost certainly will be overmatched at off guard. He could be one of those guys who needs to go to Europe for a couple of years and figure things out before he can contribute as a pro.

Last 5 Games = 7.3 PTS | 3 AST | 2.3 REB | 45 FG% | 77.7 3PT% | 80 FT%

ESPN's Gary Payton Scouting Report​

​

The Glove was one of the game's premier defenders for a decade, but his foot speed has gone kaput late in his career and he's now routinely beaten off the dribble by quicker guards. Where he still makes his dough is stopping bigger guards and switching onto shooting guards, whom he can still handle speed-wise and at 6-4 he has the size and strength to play as well.

Offensively, Payton still has some nifty finishing moves in the paint but no longer has the jets to get there very often. He does a decent job in a caretaker role as the backup point guard, but it's hard to watch a Hall of Famer turn into Doug Overton.

Last 5 Games = 5 PTS | 6.3 AST | 4 REB | 1.5 STL | 0.3 | 39.1 FG% | 0 3PT% | 66.6 FT%


Advantage = TIE

Shooting Guards​

Larry Hughes | Dwyane Wade​

ESPN's Larry Hughes Scouting Report​

Hughes has tremendous quickness for his size and is always a threat to score off the dribble or in transition. He's a strong finisher with a knack for drawing fouls, with the free-throw line often being his primary scoring vehicle. Hughes is a weak outside shooter who shoots 28.1 percent for his career on 3-pointers, and has a big problem with shot selection. When he's going badly he'll tend to force mid-range jumpers off the dribble, a shot he doesn't shoot particularly well. He's a good dribbler who can play point guard in a pinch, but all his drives tend to produce a high turnover rate.

Hughes' high steals total from two years ago looks like a massive fluke -- it's nearly twice what he's done in any other recent season -- but he's quick in the passing lanes and has good anticipation. He likes to gamble though, and his lack of strength makes him vulnerable to bigger shooting guards who can take him in the blocks. Hughes' focus tends to be on steals rather than stops, so his help defense isn't always up to snuff either. However, his quickness makes him a hardy defender against dribble penetration.

Hughes' injuries have become an increasing worry. He's missed 88 games in the past three seasons and hasn't played a full schedule since 1999-2000. At this point, it seems prudent to assume he'll only be around for 60 games or so.

Last 5 Games = 15.2 PTS | 3.8 AST | 2.6 REB |1.6 STL | 40.9 FG% | 46.6 3PT% | 88.2 FT%

ESPN's Dwyane Wade Scouting Report​

Wade is a brilliant penetrator whose lightning-fast first step makes him virtually impossible to defend without fouling. He's an excellent ballhandler who has a number of darts and feints he can make to get himself to the rim, especially going right, and he's as good at splitting pick-and-rolls as any player in the league. Wade is a poor long-range shooter, but he's become very adept shooting from mid-range against backpedaling defenders and in the last year has added the ability to shoot bank shots from sharp angles. And like most great scorers, he's lights out in transition.

Wade was a second-team All-Defense player two seasons ago, but that was a stretch. He's a good defensive player overall and potentially a tremendous one, but he has two failings right now. First, he gambles way too much; second, if he thinks he was fouled he'll just stare at the ref instead of running back on D. But when he stays focused, his quickness and athleticism make him tremendously tough to beat one-on-one.

Last 5 Games = 30.3 PTS | 6.8 AST | 4.3 REB | 2.8 STL | 1.3 | 49.4 FG% | 12.5 3PT% | 81.8 FT%

Advantage =

Starting Frontcourt​

Small Forwards​

LeBron James | Jason Kapono​

ESPN's LeBron James Scouting Report​

James is a breathtaking talent who has as much straight-line speed as any player in the game despite being built like a power forward. He understands the game phenomenally well for a player his age and can be a spectacular passer, which combined with his ballhandling skill makes him capable of playing point guard -- where he creates monstrous match-up problems because of the size differential.

The scary thing is that he's about the best player in the league, and yet you get the sense he could be a lot better. For instance, James is still developing as a jump shooter. He has a nice stroke with a high arc and can comfortably fire away even with a hand in his face, but his accuracy remains middling. He started developing more of a post game last season and he should continue working on it to take better advantage of his size.

Another quibble with his offensive game is how he runs the pick-and-roll, because he tends to bring the offense grinding to a halt. Detroit exploited this beautifully in the playoffs -- when a big man shows hard on the screen, LeBron's instinct is to retreat almost to half court and then just go one-on-one with whomever is left guarding him. That breaks down any other movement going on with the play and makes the Cavs easy to defend. James is good enough that he still can score occasionally when he does this, but he needs to either split the trap on this play or get rid of the ball sooner.

James also needs more work on the defensive end. He's a decent on-ball defender, though a bit overaggressive, and nobody even bothers trying to post him up because of his size. But he has to get better from the weak side. James will play passing lanes and go for steals, but the basic help-and-recover moves are still developing.

Last 5 Games = 29 PTS | 5 AST | 7.7 REB | 2 STL | 50.7 FG% | 35.2 3PT% | 53.1 FT%

ESPN's Jason Kapono Scouting Report​

Kapono is a great shooter, but his reluctance to use the 3-pointer as his offensive foundation is undermining his career. He likes to take 2-pointers off the dribble, sometimes with a very high degree of difficulty, and that drags down his TS% considerably.

Kapono is a decent ballhandler for his size, but otherwise he brings nothing to the table. He's an extremely poor rebounder and often overmatched at the defensive end because of his lack of quickness and strength.

Last 5 Games = 16.4 PTS | 1.2 AST | 2.6 REB | 0.2 STL | 56.1 FG% | 60.8 3PT% | 100 FT%

Advantage =

Power Forwards​

Drew Gooden | Udonis Haslem​

ESPN's Drew Gooden Scouting Report​

Gooden makes for a good role player because he can score without having plays run for him. He's a quick leaper who can finish around the basket, and he has a decent mid-range jump shot despite his somewhat awkward form. He's not as adept in the post because he lacks strength and can get bodied out of the lane, but he does have a nice jump-hook move.

Defensively, Gooden's quickness makes him very good at picking up guards on switches, and he has long arms that earn him lots of deflections. He doesn't have the power to deal with some of the league's bigger power forwards, but he partly makes up for it by helping on the defensive glass. Despite his leaping ability and quickness, he's not a shot-blocker.

The biggest criticism of Gooden has been his lack of focus. Whether it's losing track of his man at the defensive end or not knowing a play on offense, Gooden has baffled coaches with his mental miscues, and that's one reason he hasn't played as many minutes as you might expect for a player with such a high PER.

Last 5 Games = 13.4 PTS | 0.8 AST | 9.4 REB | 2 STL | 45.3 FG% | 60 FT%

ESPN's Udonis Haslem Scouting Report​

The odd thing about Haslem's defensive performance in the Finals is that he wasn't all that impressive in the regular season. The Heat were only marginally better with him on the floor, and keep in mind his replacement was Antoine Walker. Additionally, opponents put up a strong 16.1 PER against him.

At 6-8, he's pretty easy for opposing post players to shoot over, and he doesn't have foreboding strength or great shot-blocking skills. But he moves his feet and plays physical D, and that made him a good matchup against Nowitzki.

Offensively, Haslem's two means of scoring are midrange jumpers and offensive boards. He's developed a nice stroke from 15 feet, especially from the baseline, and he goes aggressively to the offensive glass to earn second shots. He has no post game and isn't a threat off the dribble, but he makes his foul shots and can convert around the basket despite lacking both height and hops.

Last 5 Games = 10.6 PTS | 1 AST | 7.8 REB | 0.6 BLK | 0.4 STL | 56.5 FG% | 50 FT%

Advantage =TIE

Centers​

Zydrunas Ilgauskas | Alonzo Mourning​

ESPN's Zydrunas Ilgauskas Scouting Report​

Ilgauskas is one of the best post players in basketball. Though 7-3, he's fairly mobile and has range out to 17 feet. He likes to set up camp on the left block and shoot a turnaround going to either side, although of late he's added a sweeping hook shot where he dribbles right and never puts his left hand back on the ball as he goes up.

Ilgauskas is a good shot-blocker and his size makes him difficult to score against in the blocks, but he has trouble farther away from the basket. Teams try to involve him in screen-and-roll plays and take advantage of his poor lateral movement. He gives a good effort, though, and overall the Cavs defended better with him on the court last season. He's also not a good defensive rebounder -- an unusually big chunk of his boards come at the offensive end.

If I could choose one player to be on my team for a five-minute overtime, Ilgauskas might be the guy. Not because he's a great clutch player, but because he's perhaps the best jump-ball taker in the game. His height helps, but his real genius is in the art of stealing the tap without being so blatant about it that the ref calls a violation. They must teach this in Lithuania or something -- Arvydas Sabonis was great at it too.

Last 5 Games = 10.8 PTS | 2.4 AST | 6.4 REB | 0.6 BLK | 0.6 STL | 50 FG% | 87.5 FT%

ESPN's Alonzo Mourning Scouting Report​

​

Mourning has never been the most polished post player, but even at 36 he has the size and athleticism to score around the basket. He can shoot a hook with either hand, with the only certainty being that he will shoot it -- there's a better chance of Pat Riley pacing the sidelines in a straw hat and overalls than there is of Mourning kicking it back out. Mourning also remains a strong rebounder and runs the floor well.

But his passion is defense. Mourning plays with great intensity, which sometimes seems overacted but rarely ebbs. His length, timing and hustle allow him to dominate the interior at the defensive end, especially when he can play the middle in a zone. The price of his activity is a high foul rate -- one every eight minutes -- which often limits how long he can stay on the court.

Last 5 Games = 10 PTS | 0.3 AST | 5.8 REB | 2.8 BLK | 0.3 STL | 44.7 FG% | 50 FT%

Advantage =

========>Key Matchup<========

SG | Dwyane Wade

AGAISNT

SG | Larry Hughes

~ This is a pretty key match-up in the game Thursday. If we can contain DWade, not stop him, but contain him, we have a very good chance at winning this game. DWade has pretty much had to carry this team of late with Shaq still likely to be out vs. the Cavs. We can’t allow DWade to get the basket at will or give him easy uncontested shots. I think we need to get whoever he is guarding and make him guard them. Tire him out and make be less effective on offense.​

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Benches

Key Cavalier Bench Players

F Donyell Marshallhttp://www.nba.com/playerfile/donyell_marshall/index.html |
G Damon Jones | F/G Sasha Pavlovic | C/F Anderson Varejao

Rest Of The Bench

- G Shannon Brown
- G/F Ira Newble
- C/F Scot Pollard
- C/F Dwyane Jones
- G Eric Snow
- G David Wesley​

Key Cavalier Injuries​

NONE


Key Miami Bench Players

F Antoine Walker | F/G James Posey
F/G Dorell Wright | C/F Michael Doleac

Rest Of The Bench

- C/F Wayne Simien
- G Chris Quinn
- G Robert Hite
- C/F Earl Barron

Key Heat Injuries​

-

C | Shaquille O’Neal Status Alert: Shaq is pretty much a day-to-day decision with his calf injury still giving him some trouble. He’ll be questionable for tonight’s game.
-

G | Jason Williams Status Alert: Jason is definitely out of the game tonight.

​

Advantage =

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Smooth32's 3 Keys To Get The "V"​

1). Ball Movement – The Warriors game was probably one of the best games we have played this year offensively. There was no standing around or watching a one-man show. We rotated the ball from wing-to-wing, got open looks, made ball fakes and made basket cuts. All those things will be key tonight with LeBron needing some help on offense.

2). Boobie, Boobie, Boobie, rockin’ everywhere! – I think Boobie will be one of the key players tonight. He really did a nice job pushing the ball against the Warriors and basically controlled the pace of the game when he was in the game. He also shot the ball well and I’ll be curious to see how the outside shooting in the starting lineup affect LeBron and Larry’s effectiveness. This will be nationally televised game, so we’ll see how he responds.

3). Play All 4 – It has seemed like the last few games that there will be certain spots in the game where we let our guard down, or seem to stop playing. We need to continue our effort, focus and energy all throughout the game, if we want to win the game.

Prediction​

​

Cavs - 98
Heat - 93


GOCAVS !!


=====================================
Note - The scouting reports are from ESPN. So credit should be given there.

 

[PIP]

UCLA reject, Jason KaP()n() is someone I would love to have back...

 

[cdt]

It's funny we drafted Kapono in Rd 2 after LeBron and he now has a ring and is starting for the defending Champions...

I love Cleveland..

 

[Smooth]

It's funny we drafted Kapono in Rd 2 after LeBron and he now has a ring and is starting for the defending Champions...

I love Cleveland..

Posey should be starting, IMHO...

What's with Cleveland, and white swingmen flops? And PIP'
s obsession with them?

:chuckles:

 

[Kypus]

Posey's going to have a huge game tonight, I can smell it.

 

[cavs_playa23]

The Cavs' second-round pick played point guard in college, but his inability to set up shots for teammates doesn't bode well for his ability to do the same as a pro. Gibson has good size for a point at 6-3 and he's a decent shooter who also can attack the basket. However, he seems too small to play shooting guard and he's not a great athlete. He might have trouble defensively even at the point, and almost certainly will be overmatched at off guard. He could be one of those guys who needs to go to Europe for a couple of years and figure things out before he can contribute as a pro.




:thumbdown

espn=knows what there talking about? <---:chuckles: They don't know there head from there arse

 

[cav jvl]

Big lights, Wade, celebrities everywhere, TNT, playing with Gibson, Kopono checking him, Lebron is going off big time tonight. Barkley will HAVE to say nice things.

 

[crazedcav333]

Yeah lets get some during-game chatter for this one...?

 

[Karma]

Can we play well on a national televised game? I'm over these guys having legit reasons to critisise our team.

 

[chiefwahoo]

Can we play well on a national televised game? I'm over these guys having legit reasons to critisise our team.

Karma - do they show TNT games down under?

 

[Karma]

Absolutely. I've knocked off work 4 hours early for this game. Its almost 12pm on Friday here.

 

[Karma]

Bloody Shaq couldn't help himself. At least we got the best caller of the game. Bring it Marv!

 

[KingJamesMVP]

Yes..I can watch this one!

 

[KingJamesMVP]

Not a good start........

 

[James]

Drews hitler patch is coming along very well, and look at how empty the arenas is, you know its gotta be crazy down in Mia.