Game Preview #71: Cleveland Cavaliers @ San Antonio Spurs
by silverandblack_davis on Mar 26, 2010 5:00 AM CDT
in Game Previews
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PrintI know I kinda wanted to make consecutive badass previews for these three games, but the exasperating loss, coupled with that first-ever epic PtR four game threads left me out of breath and, well, out of time. Like most of you, I, too, feel bad about that last game.
But this game against the Cleveland Cavaliers does not offer any breathers whatsoever. LeBron and his loyal subjects are carrying an impressive eight-game winning streak, and are close to locking up home court advantage throughout the playoffs. I miss the days when our Spurs were the one riding a similar wave of wins.
Without further ado, a simple preview and undying optimism - because it's free to dream and I'm delusional - after the jump.
Here is your customary Cleveland demoralizing/irritating wallpaper of the day:
And here's a Dave Matthews song for all the Debbie Downers out there:
**Disclaimer: I STILL think I am messing up the game times, so if you have a problem with it, just put your suggestions in the comments below.
 Cleveland Cavaliers @ San Antonio Spurs Where: AT&T Center - San Antonio, TX When: March 26, 2010; 7:30 PM Spurs time Watch: FSN Southwest
How They Stack Up
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Matchups
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 George Hill Padawan |
Point Guard Mo Williams is going to give George Hill fits using screens to free himself up on offense, but after going up against top dogs like Kobe and Artest the other night and knowing he can hang with them, I think the kid is looking to bounce back. Advantage: Spurs |
 Mo Williams Gunner |
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 Manu Ginobili Jedi Master |
Shooting Guard Anthony Parker has been a great pick-up for the Cavs and he's been playing his role as sort of a Bruce Bowen-type to near perfection. But Manu has been doing it all so he gets the WVATS white box. Advantage: Spurs |
 Anthony Parker My Sister Is Better Than Yours |
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 Richard Jefferson Hollow Man |
Small Forward RJ stinks. LeBron is a beast. End of story. Advantage: Cavaliers |
 LeBron James The King with No Ring |
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 Tim Duncan Obi Wan on the Decline |
Power Forward I know that Timmeh has been doing the other important things (rebounding, passing) even if he's being abused on both ends. However, until he shows a pulse on offense, I'd have to underrate for awhile. Advantage: Cavaliers |
 Antawn Jamison Wizardly Cavalier |
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 Antonio McDyess Washed Up |
Center Dice and our big men face yet another athletic bunch of bigs who seem to have great motor, as the great Jay Bilas calls it. I think we're in trouble. Advantage: Cavaliers |
 J.J. Hickson Young 'Un |
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 Roger Mason Jr. Where's My Shot? |
Bench & Role Players Pop really needs to hire a P.I. or something to look for Mase's shot. Without Manu, our bench is hardly capable of holding or building a lead on their own. The addition of Jamison and the possibility of Ilgauskas returning, not to mention Shaq who is still sidelined by injury, really solidifies the Cavs' reserve corps. Advantage: Cavalliers |
 Anderson Varejao Sideshow Bob |
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 Gregg Popovich Misses Tony |
CoachIt always feels good to come to work and have LeBron as an employee. Advantage: Cavaliers |
 Mike Brown I Luv LeBron |
| images via yahoo.com | ||
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Other Factors
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Intangibles |
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Cleveland is on a roll with its 8-game win streak right now, while we wilted in our first game of a brutal schedule. Advantage: Cavaliers |
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Mojo |
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Despite collective efforts by PtR old timers to revive it, the mojo is and will continue to remain dead. Advantage: None |
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Winner: |
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| Spurs win. Because I really need one right now. And because false hope, while leading to eventual disappointment, is still better than utter despair. |
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Keys To The Game
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Strength of ScheduleLife is hard. We go on the road to Boston after this one. On the bright side, we got New Jersey after that one. Woohoo! Cleveland will have a three-game homestand after this one, featuring the cupcake Kings and playoff-caliber games versus the surging Bucks and legit Hawks. Animals are really awesome, by the way. Last Time They MetCleveland had no LeBron, no Shaq and no Jamison down the stretch and we still lost, a heartbreaking one at that - 95-97. |
Some Other ReadingCavaliersFear The Sword - The SBNation blog for the Cavs. It looks clean and nice. Spurs48 Minutes of Hell: The best TrueHoop team blog is now even better. A must read.
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Where to Tune In
TVThis game will NOT be aired on national TV. If you have cable or satellite, you'll have to look up your individual channel. And of course, there's always League Pass for the haves. For the have nots, read on. OnlineAs always, NBA League Pass is recommended for those who are willing to pony up the cash. Most Spurs games will be broadcast there, which is especially helpful for those of us who aren't in the San Antonio area. Please don't post links to illegal game feeds in the game thread. Links to illegal feeds are not permitted on SBNation, but you can probably find them out there on the internets if you're resourceful and desperate. In fact, nobody can stop you from googling "atdhe". You can also shoot an email to poundingtherockmail@yahoo.com for more assistance. NBA League Pass audio is still free this year, so check it out. RadioIf you're in the San Antonio area and aren't near a TV, tune in to WOAI (1200 AM). |
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Comments
Western Europe Time will be 1:30 AM.
Won’t be able to make it for the game though. I have my exam Saturday morning. Better be fresh :)
Good luck Bakkie!
Genibus Nitito Canus
by SpursfanSteve on Mar 26, 2010 6:16 PM CDT up reply actions
IMO
like what u said im wishing us to win but i know that i’d be disappointed..im really hoping lebron would have a grant hill kind of injury to sideline his career…but how much i hate him i need to admit…his good…his the beast best…
anyway i got a suggestion why not we make a preview were we lose eh?maybe it may reverse effect…just another desperation move…huhuhu
I think they love Manu as much as we do
lies.
Spurs Basketball. Improving [other] NBA teams since 2010! - swgeek
Other Games that Matter Tonight
The Good Games
LAL @ OKC (We need to root for the Lakers……FML)
NY @ PHX (D’antoni Special otherwise I wouldn’t list it….they did just beat Dallas and Denver though….)
DEN @ TOR (hopefully Toronto wants to avenge/vindicate their dismantling at the hands of Utah)
The Games We Can Keep an Eye, but Don’t Expect Much
Jazz @ Pacers
Kings @ Celtics
Hawks @ Sixers
I can’t pull myself to root for LA. And since we win tiebreakers with OKC, I still expect to at least match their record at the end.
You gotta bring ass to get ass.
agreed – I could never root for the damned Fakers
"Mr. Gilmore deserves to be in the Basketball Hall of Fame damnit. Highest field goal percentage EVER"
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/gilmoar01.html
by Joe deLarios on Mar 26, 2010 3:52 PM CDT up reply actions
I don’t know about Hill getting the white box. Williams killed us last time and he was an undeserving all-star, which is slightly better than being a deserving snub in the rookie-sophomore game.
Is deserving snub redundant? I guess snub covers it, right?
Deserving snub makes it sound like he deserved to be snubbed.
by doggydogworld on Mar 26, 2010 1:26 PM CDT up reply actions
I’m going to go all out and say we win by 7
"I like the fact that he’s a man." – Hubie Brown on Blair
by Manu ex Machina on Mar 26, 2010 11:07 AM CDT up reply actions
I’ll call that sh*t
"Mr. Gilmore deserves to be in the Basketball Hall of Fame damnit. Highest field goal percentage EVER"
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/gilmoar01.html
by Joe deLarios on Mar 26, 2010 3:52 PM CDT up reply actions
I voted for muppet Pop. That description was just too damn funny.
"I like the fact that he’s a man." – Hubie Brown on Blair
by Manu ex Machina on Mar 26, 2010 11:09 AM CDT reply actions
The last time we played the Ohioans, we should have won. We will play hard tonight but they are the best outside in team in the NBA. Ferry has done an outstanding job of surrounding James. They are having fun and we are having cramps in trying to figure out who we are at any given moment. Five to two in favor of the other team with the white boxes seems like some kind of record. I only hope Pop plays Ian, Malik and Blair it is our only hope.
Oh, Pop will play those guys….
…when we’re down by 30.
Spurs Basketball. Improving [other] NBA teams since 2010! - swgeek
Wow, Tim not having the white box is pretty brutal, no? I mean the poor guy is allowed to have a couple of bad games over a 15 year career (or however long it’s been).
The Lakers "Too big, too strong, too long, too good."
We’re just hoping he reads this preview, for whatever reason, and wants to show us that Jamison is just as old as he is.
"I like the fact that he’s a man." – Hubie Brown on Blair
by Manu ex Machina on Mar 26, 2010 3:44 PM CDT up reply actions
everyone grows old, everyone will fall on the battlefield if given enough time, it is the way of the world
"Mr. Gilmore deserves to be in the Basketball Hall of Fame damnit. Highest field goal percentage EVER"
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/gilmoar01.html
by Joe deLarios on Mar 26, 2010 3:54 PM CDT up reply actions
Yes, but consider this, coupled with the Pau smackdown he got, the “striking down” of the aging Obi Wan… And when you strike Obi Wan down, he becomes more powerful than we could ever imagine.
I considered making a legit Pau=Darth Vader reference, but if Pau didnt play for the Lakers, i’d really like him. I think A’m’a’r’e is more Darth than him. Yup. I’ll go with that.
Genibus Nitito Canus
by SpursfanSteve on Mar 26, 2010 6:21 PM CDT up reply actions
The key to a Spurs win tonight is.....
DEFENSE
by titansfan4ever on Mar 26, 2010 12:32 PM CDT reply actions
This word should be banned from the Spurs blog. There is no need to disturb the dead spirits of the glorious past.
We should start rebuilding around Durant
Agreed
"Mr. Gilmore deserves to be in the Basketball Hall of Fame damnit. Highest field goal percentage EVER"
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/gilmoar01.html
by Joe deLarios on Mar 26, 2010 3:54 PM CDT up reply actions
I expect that Timmy’s legs are still tired but the rest of the team should have more energy than they did Wednesday. Still, Pop should not hesitate to play Ian and Malik as he did earlier in Cleveland. This is still a tough stretch of games with more to come on Sunday. Whatever minutes can be saved from Manu, TD, Hill and even the injured knees of Dyce and RJ would be helpful.
You gotta bring ass to get ass.
too bad they both are liabilities
"Mr. Gilmore deserves to be in the Basketball Hall of Fame damnit. Highest field goal percentage EVER"
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/gilmoar01.html
by Joe deLarios on Mar 26, 2010 3:55 PM CDT up reply actions
I just saw Ferry outside of Order Up. I didn’t bother him because he was with his family. He looked confident.
"GINOBILI!" -- Sir Charles
"I mean, we really suck. Temple will beat the hell out of Cornell. Promise." -- Me
Sure he looked confident...
he doesn’t have to play :-)
by titansfan4ever on Mar 26, 2010 2:26 PM CDT up reply actions
how many seasons would you give him and Brown if LeBron leaves? I don’t think Jamison and Williams are much better than the underwhelming Wizards team this year.
They would be crazy...
to let LeBron leave.
by titansfan4ever on Mar 26, 2010 2:35 PM CDT up reply actions
It’s not really about “letting” him leave. He’s unrestricted, and can do whatever he wants to. That said, I doubt he’s leaving – he was lucky to get drafted to by his hometown team, and they can give him more salary than anyone else.
Spurs Basketball. Improving [other] NBA teams since 2010! - swgeek
won’t his ad revenue go crazy in NYC and dwarf whatever Cleveland could offer over the Knicks or Nets?
I don't know how....
his ad revenue could go any crazier than it already is.
by titansfan4ever on Mar 26, 2010 2:55 PM CDT up reply actions
NY is NY though. Cleveland is still Cleveland…. I thought there was a rumor that Nike was going to pay him huge money to switch teams or something like that.
and if they don’t win this year or lose the East to Orlando or Boston or something, he might think it just can’t happen for Cleveland…his goal has to be winning a chip or he’ll be the sad comparison to Jordan and Kobe and the other great champions who he is already measured against
Besides, I think he has a better chance to....
win a championship in Cleveland than NY.
by titansfan4ever on Mar 26, 2010 3:15 PM CDT up reply actions
Yeah, but remember....
the purse strings are connected to the heart strings…and like Tim C. said, it’s his home town…so we’ll have to see how much of a factor that really is.
by titansfan4ever on Mar 26, 2010 3:07 PM CDT up reply actions
lebron can buy all the heart strings he could ever want wherever he goes….no one likes ohio, right? right?……
right?
i mean he can afford to move everyone he knows in stupid Cleveland
“If I really wanted to,” James said, “if I really wanted to be the scoring [champion] every single year — every single year — I could really do it. But it doesn’t matter.”
douche, then f’ing do it because your pregame bullshit doesn’t matter either but you’re more than willing to do that crap…he doesn’t think Kobe, Melo or Durant could score more than they do if they wanted to force shots or demanded more touches…..all of those guys are out trying to win a chip too
RIGHT...who would even want to live in Cleveland, anyway?
But you & I both know that people elsewhere say the same thing abou SA…like why would anyone want live in SA? But for me, I couldn’t think of living anywhere else, regardless of how much they paid me…but alot of people would call me an idiot for saying that…but it’s just the way I feel (heartstrings).
by titansfan4ever on Mar 26, 2010 3:30 PM CDT up reply actions
I love san antonio but i’d leave it for a 6 year contract to make tons more money and likely come back…or not….
I don’t think you’re an idiot. I just don’t see playing for a team as a permanent move. It’s just a term. If I felt I could advance my career and make more money somewhere else in the short term, I think I would seriously consider leaving. I mean even if LeBron plays until he’s 40 years old, he has plenty of time to live wherever he wants.
Yeah, there's no such thing as permanent in pro sports these days...
Every once in a while it happens…ei: David Robinson or Tim Duncan. BTW dude, you wouldn’t happen to be a Knicks fan, would you?
by titansfan4ever on Mar 26, 2010 3:47 PM CDT up reply actions
no I just think LeBron will be there in a second….or with the Nets
unless he wins a chip this year, but if he does then he may feel he wants the challenge of going somewhere else
Lebron isnt going anywhere. He’s going to make the media come to him.
Genibus Nitito Canus
by SpursfanSteve on Mar 26, 2010 6:24 PM CDT up reply actions
SA is growing at a 22% increase
CLE is losing people at a 5.4% decrease – people are getting the hell out of Cleveland but Loving SA.
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0763098.html
"Mr. Gilmore deserves to be in the Basketball Hall of Fame damnit. Highest field goal percentage EVER"
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/gilmoar01.html
by Joe deLarios on Mar 26, 2010 3:58 PM CDT up reply actions
My friend called me yesterday to tell me he saw Duncan step out of a Dodge Challenger at Broadway Bakery on De Zavala. The fact that he’s driving one of those small things likely has something to do with his drop in production.
"I like the fact that he’s a man." – Hubie Brown on Blair
by Manu ex Machina on Mar 26, 2010 4:09 PM CDT up reply actions
Fuck it, Cavs by 95
"He was just a young skinny guy who looked like a winner. We didn’t know he was going to be as good as he is."
—Popovich on Manu Ginobili
Ha Ha
"Mr. Gilmore deserves to be in the Basketball Hall of Fame damnit. Highest field goal percentage EVER"
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/gilmoar01.html
by Joe deLarios on Mar 26, 2010 3:58 PM CDT up reply actions
without Manu, maybe
"Mr. Gilmore deserves to be in the Basketball Hall of Fame damnit. Highest field goal percentage EVER"
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/gilmoar01.html
by Joe deLarios on Mar 26, 2010 3:59 PM CDT up reply actions
Home Record
We are 25-11 at home, but 7-1 in our last 8 at home (since the RRT). Prior to that we were 18-10. Lakers were the exception, Spurs win tonight!!!
most sites have it as a pick’em game…….that helps
"Mr. Gilmore deserves to be in the Basketball Hall of Fame damnit. Highest field goal percentage EVER"
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/gilmoar01.html
by Joe deLarios on Mar 26, 2010 4:08 PM CDT up reply actions
Cleveland’s road record is better than our home record. Ugh.
Spurs Basketball. Improving [other] NBA teams since 2010! - swgeek
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