W2W4 - Cavs v. Blazers
Posted March 19th, 2009 by Michael Curry
What to watch for tonight as the Cavaliers welcome the Portland Trailblazers to the Q on a day when a lot of basketball will be played. A lot of basketball.
Former Buckeye Greg Oden played in his first game since the All-Star Break last night, grabbing 7 rebounds in just 12 minutes. Oden has no luck when it comes to injuries, and the last three years of his basketball life have been nothing but fits and starts as he goes from playing to injured to rehabbing. The injuries are taking their toll on Oden, who by all accounts is a terrific guy. From a strictly basketball perspective, expect Oden to be a force on the glass during his minutes, but also expect those minutes to be limited by foul trouble.
While Brandon Roy is the heart and soul of this Blazers team, I’m picking LaMarcus Aldridge as the biggest factor in this game. The Cavs do not have a good matchup for Aldridge, a long, athletic power forward who can knock down the 18-footer and get to the rack off the dribble. Aldridge had 21 points when these two teams met earlier this season, and he has gotten better every month, capping out in March with 19.2 ppg and 8.4 rpg.
On the home side, the Cavs must get more production from Delonte West tonight. West will have his hands full defensively with Roy, but the Cavs also need him to step up offensively, with Wally Szczerbiak down for 2-3 weeks with a sprained leg knee. West has not shot the ball well of late, missing four wide-open threes on Tuesday, and the Cavs need West to punish teams for leaving him open behind the arc. Besides, the crowd loves him, so big shots from Red always get the Q in a tizzy.
The Blazers are on a back-to-back, after winning handily in Indiana last night. Cavs + crowd + fatigue should be enough to extinguish the Blazers.
Go Cavs. And Go Zips.
