What to Watch For - Cavs v 76ers…again
Posted December 12th, 2008 by Michael Curry
What to watch for tonight:
1. How will the Cavaliers handle the loss of Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Daniel Gibson?
With Z on the bench with his ankle sprain, look for the Cavaliers to try to get out and run, as the offense will no longer benefit from waiting for Big Z to get down the floor. The Cavaliers will likely look for more early offense as well. But the mostly likely change, at least for the first few games, will be more LeBron isolation in the half-court, whether it be on the perimeter or in the post.
While Z is getting plenty of praise all around this season, even I was surprised to see that Ilgauskas is putting up 14.8 points per night in just 26 minutes. The Cavaliers have to find a way to make up some of that production, and a number of players are going to get that opportunity. Hickson will likely get the first chance to pick up some points in the paint, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if Darnell Jackson shows off that solid 12 footer from the corner, a spot that is often open in the Cavalier offense.
When you add the loss of Gibson’s scoring (9.4 points per game), the Cavaliers are looking at a deficit of 24.2 points per game. Expect LeBron to cover about 6 of the missing points, and Mo Williams to cover another 4. That leaves 14 points for the rest of the players to make up. Even though the Cavaliers are currently beating their opponents by a whopping 13.36 points per game, they need to find some more points from the other guys if they want to keep this win streak rolling.
2. How will the Cavs handle the 76ers break?
The 76ers had 26 fast break points on Wednesday while scoring only 93 points overall. That means that 28% of their total point output was through the fast break, and anyone watching the game could see that the only way the Sixers were effectively scoring was when they were running in transition. If the Cavaliers want to shut down the Sixers tonight, they have to keep them from running.
To do that, there are two things the Cavs need to do offensively. First, they need to avoid taking too many long jump shots. The jumpshot is the perfect catalyst for the transition game, and the Sixers were certainly giving the Cavaliers a little extra space on Wednesday, daring the ballhandlers to shoot. The Cavaliers have to resist that urge and focus on moving the ball and getting into the lane.
The Cavalier bigs should also crash the offensive boards a little less, instead getting back on defense when the shot goes up and the rebound is legitimately out of reach. I know the Cavaliers thrive on getting offensive rebounds, especially at home where the hustle is quickly rewarded by the fans. But discretion is the better part of valor, and with the 76ers having no luck against the Cavalier halfcourt defense, I think the Cavs would be well-served to give up a few of those offensive boards for better defensive position on the other end. Again, I think the Cavs should go out there trying to win this game 80-60, because the Sixers have no idea how to score effectively in a slowdown game right now.
3. Will the crowd have an impact in the game tonight?
The Cavaliers are 11-0 at home, and given the terrible season the Browns are currently finishing, the city has turned it’s attention to the very impressive Cavaliers. That can lead to some very excited fans filling up the Q, and that extra boost might be just what the team needs to help them weather the storm with Z and Boobie on the bench. With a rough road stretch coming up next week, it is very important that the Cavs end tonight with that home winning streak still intact. The Sixers put up a tough fight on Wednesday, and I imagine they will be even tougher tonight. Here’s hoping the home crowd stays loud and involved, and carries the good guys to victory.
Go Cavs.
