Game Preview – Sunday January 31, 2010 – Los Angeles Clippers @ Cleveland Cavaliers
Game Preview – Sunday January 31, 2010 – Los Angeles Clippers @ Cleveland CavaliersThe Cavaliers look to make it 8 in a row, 6 in a row without Mo Williams, and 5 in a row without Delonte West, as they come back home to start a much needed 7 game home-stand.
The Clevelanders are coming off of another relatively easy victory over Indiana, 94-73, outscoring them 17-9 in the 4th quarter. LeBron struggled with his shot (6-18), but finished tied with Shaq for the game high with 22 points, to go along with his 9 rebounds, a season high 13 assists, 2 steals, and 4 blocks, showing every asset of his game & showing why he deserves a second straight MVP award & at least some consideration for Defensive Player of the Year honors. Shaq added 8 rebounds to go along with his aforementioned 22 points on 8-10 shooting, and 2 blocks. Boobie Gibson added 10 points on 2 triple hits, making it his 4th straight game with 10+ points.
The Clippers are coming off a 111-97 thumping at the hands of the lowly T-Wolves. Baron Davis led the way in the losing effort with 28 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals. Marcus Camby added 10 points, 19 rebounds, 5 assists & 4 steals of his own, but it wasn’t enough, as the Clippers shot 5-23 from downtown in the loss.
Sunday January 31, 2010
Los Angeles Clippers @ Cleveland Cavaliers
6:00 PM EST
FSN Ohio/WTAM 1100
The Cavaliers are 21-7 at the Q vs. the Pacific Division in the past 6+ years, including 5-0 vs. the Clippers.
Probable Starters:
Los Angeles:
Baron Davis
Eric Gordon
Rasual Butler
Marcus Camby
Chris Kaman
Cleveland:
Daniel Gibson
Anthony Parker
LeBron James
J.J Hickson
Shaquille O’Neal
All-Time Series:
Overall: Cleveland 64 (103.5 PPG) – Clippers 46 (101.2 PPG)
LeBron era: Cleveland 10 (97.0 PPG) – Clippers 3 (92.1 PPG)
The Cavaliers have won 8 of the last 9 meetings, and the last 7 at the Q.
Last Meeting:
January 16, 2010: Cleveland 102 – Clippers 101.
The Cavaliers escaped L.A with a 1 point win, as Baron Davis missed a game winning 3 at the buzzer for the Clippers. The Cavaliers were down by 9 at the half, but outscored the Clippers 55-45 in the final 24 minutes. LeBron led the way with a team high 32 points on 12-20 shooting, including 13 in the deciding 4th quarter. Mo Williams added 18 with 6 assists & Delonte West contributed with 14 off the bench on 4-7 shooting. Rasual Butler had a game high 33 for the Clippers, who combined with Eric Gordon to shoot 23-34 for their 61 points. Craig Smith added 16 with 6 boards off the bench, as the Clippers shot over 59% but couldn’t get the victory.
Make them share the ball:
When the Clippers have somebody go for 25+ points, they are 13-9.
Cleveland’s Highlight Performance:
March 10, 2009: Cleveland 87 – Clippers 83.
LeBron James: 10-23 FG; 12-16 FT; 32 Pts; 13 Rebs; 11 Assists; 2 Steals; 2 Blocks; 4 Turnovers
Clippers’ Highlight Performance:
December 12, 1990: Clippers 100 – Cleveland 90.
Ken Norman: 13-24 FG; 4-7 FT; 30 Pts; 11 Rebs; 7 Assists; 3 Steals; 2 Blocks; 1 Turnover
Share the ball:
In his career, when LeBron James has 10+ assists, the Cavaliers are 67-14 (not including the 8-2 in the playoffs).
Cleveland career stats vs. Clippers:
| Player | Games | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | FG% | FT% | 3pt% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zydrunas Ilgauskas | 19 | 32.2 | 17.1 | 8.8 | 1.3 | 51.2% | 75.8% | 0.0% |
| LeBron James | 13 | 40.6 | 22.9 | 7.1 | 6.6 | 40.6% | 76.4% | 25.0% |
| Jamario Moon | 3 | 26.3 | 12.7 | 5.3 | 0.7 | 53.3% | 83.3% | 16.7% |
| Shaquille O’Neal | 41 | 35.9 | 26.5 | 10.7 | 2.8 | 58.4% | 55.7% | - |
Clippers career stats vs. Cavaliers:
| Player | Games | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | FG% | FT% | 3pt% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baron Davis | 25 | 34.6 | 15.6 | 4.3 | 6.5 | 38.4% | 79.6% | 30.1% |
| Eric Gordon | 3 | 40.7 | 23.0 | 5.0 | 3.0 | 53.3% | 85.7% | 52.9% |
| Chris Kaman | 10 | 30.2 | 10.5 | 8.3 | 1.1 | 45.2% | 72.4% | - |
| Al Thornton | 4 | 30.0 | 14.8 | 5.3 | 0.8 | 40.7% | 73.3% | 57.1% |
Who’s Hot:
| Player | Time Period | Points | Rebounds/Assists | FG% | Misc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bobby Brown | Played in 5 of last 26 gms w/ N.O; Played in 2 straight w/ Clips | ||||
| Marcus Camby | 7 games | 7.9 | 14.1 RPG | 41.4% | 1.9 BPG |
| Ricky Davis | 6 games | 8.5 | 3.3 RPG | 40.4% | 38.5% 3pt |
| Craig Smith | 9 games | 13.8 | 5.3 RPG | 59.7% | 23.4 MPG |
| Al Thornton | 9 games | 9.0 | 2.0 RPG | 50.0% | 22.0 MPG |
Who’s Not:
| Player | Time Period | Points | Rebounds/Assists | FG% | Misc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rasual Butler | 7 games | 11.0 | 1.7 RPG | 37.3% | 24.2% 3pt |
| Mardy Collins | Only 9 games with 10+ minutes | ||||
| Baron Davis | 8 games | 13.8 | 7.4 APG | 33.9% | 17.2% 3pt |
| Eric Gordon | 2 games | 14.5 | 4.5 RPG | 35.7% | 23.1% 3pt |
| Blake Griffin | Will miss entire season | ||||
| DeAndre Jordan | 5 games | 1.0 | 3.4 | 50.0% | 9.0 MPG |
| Chris Kaman | 4 games | 18.0 | 7.3 RPG | 46.0% | 3.0 TOPG |
| Steve Novak | 1 minute played in last 4 games | ||||
| Brian Skinner | 5 minutes played in last 7 games | ||||
| Sebastian Telfair | Out at least 1 month w/ injury |
Match-up to Watch:
Kaman/Camby/Butler vs. Shaq/J.J/LeBron
This could be a match-up nightmare for the Clippers. Kaman can’t guard Shaq, but if they put Camby on Shaq, J.J could use his speed to kill Kaman both on the offensive glass & on his cuts. Butler went for 33 in the first meeting between these 2 clubs, and has averaged 19 points on 58% shooting in his last 3 games vs. the Cavaliers. LeBron of course, is LeBron and can go off at any moment.
Rotation to Watch:
Davis-Gordon-Butler-Camby-Kaman.
The Clippers’ most used lineup is also by far their most successful, outscoring their opposition by 92 points. They score 1.12 points per possession. allowing 0.98.
What to Watch:
- Trap game. The Cavaliers escaped with a 1 point victory over the Clippers in L.A, and went to the wire with them last season as well. The Clippers are a very scrappy team that can put points on the board in a hurry and have beaten Boston, Portland, Miami, and the Lakers this season.
- Clippers Defense. While the Clippers, statistically, are in the middle of the pack defensively, allowing 99.0 points per game on 45.7% shooting, they are 2nd in the league in Blocked Shots (5.9), and 13th in Steals (7.3).
- Chris Kaman & Baron Davis. If the Clippers pull off the upset, it will be because of these 2 players. In the 4 upsets of Miami, Portland, Lakers, and Boston, Kaman has averaged 22.5 points & 12 rebounds per game. Davis has averaged 18.8 points, 11.5 assists & 2.3 steals per game.
- Shaq. Chris Kaman is not the best defender out there, and Marcus Camby, while a good defender, gives up a lot of weight to Shaq, so look for Shaq to be hungry for another big game. He has now shot 68.6% over his last 13 games & this is another good game to force feed the big man.
- Back court. The Clippers have a very explosive back court in Baron Davis & Eric Gordon. Without Mo to balance it out on offense & Delonte to guard them defensively, they could go off against the Cavaliers. Even though Gordon has struggled with his shot since returning from injury, he’s still explosive & can get to the rack. Could we possibly see a Cedric Jackson sighting for defensive purposes?
Game Preview – Sunday January 31, 2010 – Los Angeles Clippers @ Cleveland Cavaliers
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Brian January 31st
Cedric Jackson has been with the team for a couple practices (and some missed FTs…) but one hope for today is that he can get some court time at some point. Whether in extended garbage time or defending one of the Clippers guards in a closer game. The Cavs could use some more info on whether he is someone they want to keep around for another 10 days, which I assume they will with the guard situation.
CCF February 1st
Well, your boy Cedric got 2 minutes yesterday with no stats to show for his effort, other than a +3 (which was the lowest +/- on the team – tied with D-Block).
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