Memphis is playing a tough schedule of games and is also playing some of their worst basketball of the season. The trade of Pau Gasol and the loss of Mike Miller to back spasms has caused Memphis to struggle with a young lineup who is ill prepared for the rigors of the NBA season. Hakim Warrick has started to slow down after a hot start replacing Pau as the starting PF. Rudy Gay has been extremely frustrated by the lack of respect from the referees and has struggled to get as many open looks as he got earlier in the season when teams were more focused on containing Gasol and Miller. Juan Carlos Navarro has gone public with his struggles hitting the rookie wall in the NBA as well. Most disturbing has been Darko Milicic's recent struggles after putting together three consecutive double-doubles after the trade.
Cleveland joined many other contending teams in attempting to make a major deal to increase their chances in the playoffs. Gone are former Grizz Drew Gooden as well as Lrry Hughes, Donyell Marshall, Cedric Simmons and Shannon Brown. In are Ben Wallace, Joe Smith, Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West. By trading two starters Cleveland gave up on a lot of players who contributed to their NBA finals run last season. West and Wally should provide immediate aid in two big areas of weakness for the Cavs: point guard, especially with Daniel 'Boobie' Gibson out with a sprained ankle, and outside shooting. Wallace is aging rapidly but will provide toughness on the interior that the Cavs have lacked as well. Cleveland has remained in the playoff hunt this year thanks to the incredible play of superstar LeBron James and his 4th quarter heroics. The changes in the lineup should limit the need for LeBron to lead so many 4th quarter comebacks.
Point Guards: Mike Conley vs Damon Jones
Damon Jones has started while waiting for Delonte West to be cleared to play for Cleveland but his time as the starter is running short. Damon is known more as a long range threat than a true point guard that Cleveland needs. Jones is shooting 42% from the arc this season and was 7-11 in his one start against Washington on Friday night. Mike Conley continues to gain confidence in his offensive game but still struggles with his outside shot. He is cool in the lane and can score with either hand in the paint as well has being able to spot teammates on the perimeter. He averages 2.5 assists to turnovers the last few games which is more than respectable for a rookie and rather incredible considering the poor shooting the Grizzlies have exhibited lately.
Advantage: Memphis
Shooting Guards: Juan Carlos Navarro vs Eric Snow
Snow is another player forced into the starting role with Gibson's injury and without West or Szczerbiak available on Friday night. He more than any other player is least capable of relieving James of offensive burdens. Snow is also an intelligent player and excellent defender who will give Navarro fits getting open for a shot. Not that superior defense is called for lately on Navarro. Juan Carlos has struggled badly the last few weeks and is shooting a mere 31% from the field and 19% from the arc in the last 10 games. Navarro has reached double figures in 3 of the last 5 games but he also had a goose egg against Dallas Friday night. The one good thing is Navarro knows he can shoot and won't hesitate to continue putting up shots.
Advantage: Memphis
Small Forwards: Rudy Gay vs LeBron James
This is a matchup where Memphis fans get to see the difference between who they want to be a superstar in Rudy Gay and what a superstar is in LeBron James. Rudy is averaging 20 ppg, 6.1 rpg and 1.8 apg. Very nice numbers for a 21 yr old 2nd yr players. LeBron James is averaging 30.2 ppg, 8.2 rpg and 7.5 apg. Damn good for any player and phenomenal for a 24 yr old 5th yr player. LeBron is the total package and what's more is he is most deadly in the 4th quarter. LeBron has led Cleveland from behind in the 4th quarter consistently all season. Over the last 5 games LeBron has actually picked up his play averaging a triple double with 31 ppg, 11 rpg and 10 apg over that span.
Advantage: Cleveland
Power Forwards: Hakim Warrick vs Ben Wallace
Hakim Warrick has been one of the few bright spots since the trade of Pau Gasol. As a starter Hakim is averaging 18 ppg, 8.2 rpg and shooting 55% from the field. That's the good news. The bad news is he is hooting 52% from the free throw line and teams are starting to realize that they need to cover him everywhere inside the arc. In the last 5 games Hak's scoring has gone been 24, 23, 22, 20 and 15. The trend is not Hak's friend right now. Ben Wallace was supposed to be the missing link to Chicago's return to glory. Instead he became the reason for their failure. Now in Cleveland he won't be expected to be what he isn't. Defense and rebounding is what Cleveland wants from Wallace and against undersized and underweighted Warrick that shouldn't be a problem.
Advantage: Cleveland
Centers: Darko Milicic vs Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Does anyone know who the 2nd leading scorer on the Cavs is? Yep, Big Z is still #2 although Cleveland is hoping that won't be the case after the trade with Wally coming to town. Ilgauskas is slow, actually plodding, and doesn't really have a go to move. All he does is his job each and every night. Big Z has 20 double-doubles this season. Darko has 6 double-doubles this season. He even had three in a row but the last one was 7 games ago and his performance has been declining game by game since then.
Advantage: Cleveland
Benches: Memphis vs Cleveland
Cleveland's bench could be loaded or empty depending on on how the starting lineup shakes out. Wally Szczerbiak has been great coming off the bench in Seattle and will probably start that way in Cleveland as first. However, Wally is a far better SG option than Snow, Jones, Gibson or anyone else on Cleveland's roster. Anderson Varejao was a serious prospect for Chris Wallace when he came to Memphis but it was obvious Memphis couldn't sign him so they turned to Darko instead. Joe Smith is solid if unspecatcular. Aleksandar Pavlovic has struggled with his contract, conditioning and expectations this season. Whatever the reason Pavlovic has failed to live up to expectations. Memphis' bench has been terrible lately. Kyle Lowry is struggling shooting, Brian Cardinal looks out of place on the court and Jason Collins contributes nothing. Former Lakers Javaris Crittenton and Kwame Brown have looked alternately terrible and promising but never dependable.
Advantage: Cleveland
Outside Opinions and Other Commentary:
Cavalier Attitude
Larry Hughes: Please Stop Taking Bad Shots - I wonder if they are going to move to covering Chicago or change their name...
Brian Windhorst - Ohio.com - One of the best bloggers in the country on the NBA. A must read for any informed fan.
Waiting For Next Year - This is the former Cleveland Sports Authority site and very well done.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Memphis at Cleveland - 2.24.08
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Post Game Thoughts - Cleveland
Pau Gasol had a decent game fighting against not just one big but two and outplaying them both but he was alone in fighting in the paint and it wore him down. Logging 45 minutes against Ilgauskas, Varejao and Gooden will do that to anyone. Darko Milicic only played 5+ minutes and had his leg wrapped the entire second half and without his bulk Memphis was killed on the boards against one of the best rebounding teams in the league. Despite Milicic's lack of PT Stromile Swift never left the bench again. It makes you wonder just how deep in the doghouse he has fallen. Gasol was effective on offense whenever he touched the ball but the double teaming made it difficult to be the offensive force he has been.
Rudy Gay broke 30 points on the night but was silent after hitting a big three with time left in the fourth. Memphis rode his shooting to get back in the game but he looked tired as well after logging 47+ minutes. Mike Miller struggled offensively all night but having to guard LeBron James for 48 minutes will do that. He tried hard but couldn't stop LeBron who scored 51 points on 18-28 shooting. Juan Carlos Navarro picked up the slack for Milicic's absence and hit some key shots but also was the defensive victim of Damon Jones's clutch three to put Cleveland ahead for good in OT.
The refs were a joke but can't be blamed for the outcome. They allowed Ilgauskas to basically play like a pulling guard on high screens and push (or shove) players at will but until the Grizzlies prove they can win in spite of the refs you can't expect them to bail you out. They let the game play physical and that benefited the Cavs. Memphis has to start making the plays and stop looking to the refs to bail them out even when they are fouled. Until that happens the refs won't see what everyone else thinks is so obvious. I'm not saying the referees were close minded but LeBron got to the line 16 times. The Grizzlies as a team got to the line 18 times. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that this is a little out of whack.
The game was entertaining and thrilling and even if the Grizzlies lost it was definitely worth the price of admission. It was so quiet in the first half I could harass Damon Jones about his smurf-like hair cut and not only did he hear me but I heard his retort although I doubt he was serious when he said the girls love it. Maybe he meant his daughter and her friends because no adult woman could look at that head and not laugh. Memphis needs to get the fans back into the game and the best way to do that is to start winning games. Until then it will be difficult to take solace in close losses.
Former Cav player Mike Sanders was scouting the game for the Bobcats tonight and he sat right in front of me. He was very gracious and it was interesting to watch him diagram our plays and take notes of our tendencies. If the Bobcats look prepared for the Grizzlies you know who to blame now for the scouting report.
From Zack
Went to the game tonight, sat in what are some of my favorite seats, Row A in the Upper Tier. Great view of the court.
It was an exciting game, despite the painfully obvious crunch-time loss. Even further than the fact that a typical Griz fan expects to lose when the game is essentially tied at the 1 minute mark, a typical Griz fan also knows that going to OT is not an acceptable option at the end of regulation. OT = Loss. I can't remember the last OT win in the Forum. I'm sure there has been a couple here and there that I am forgetting, but overwhelmingly if we are going to OT, it is just going to be another loss.
Enough about how the Grizzlies can never pull out close games. Here is what I am thinking about right now when I think back to the game and what plays or players made an impression on me.
-- What an electrifying dunk Rudy had (see below). It was off a nicely anticipated half-court steal. Rudy's arm got a good 3 feet above the rim. Please let Rudy make the dunk contest. Take a look for yourself thanks to Getty.
-- Rudy's dunk wasn't the only highlight reel dunk of the night. Hak put one down on the other end of the court (i.e., in the 1st half) and we as beyond the block in the short corner. He had to jump over a couple of players that fell down (probably off a Mike Miller jump pass or something) and Hak did that go-g- gadget-arm-extending thing. It was pretty awesome.
-- Navarro played a great game. I don't think any shot is a bad shot for him. When he is on the court, I just want him to shoot as much as possible, particularly early in the shot clock. He finished with 47 minutes and started the 2nd half in front of Darko. He was 9 for 16 from the field. I'll take that. The last 3-pointer that JC had which tied the game (see below) was a riveting play to watch develop. From my view he was leaning pretty hard to the left to get the shot off, with Damon Jones and LeBron chasing him. here is the Getty Image of the play.
-- Overall, I was pleased with Pau's crunch time play with a couple of big blocks and a few big shots. but I hated his weak-sauce play fumbling the ball when he got the offensive rebound off of a short 3-pointer. I also hate it that I remember those couple of weak plays by Pau over his numerous good plays whenever I go to games at the Forum.
-- Conley was a terrific tonight. He had a good sense of where to direct the ball on offense, some quick slicing drives, 2-3 from deep, and a couple of great steals. Although to be fair, tonight might have been his most turnovers in a single game (to go along with what I'm assuming to be a season high in points). It was an up and down game and I don't mind those turnovers. I really like the Conley-Lowry combo at PG. The scaled back minutes have helped Lowry be a better compliment to Conley. The two of them always give us the speed dimension in transition.
-- Miller played his heart out against LeBron. All the respect for how hard Miller tried to stop LeBron from scoring 50+. LeBron is just pretty damn good. I would hope that Bobby Jones can come in for a few more minutes or in certain situations to relive Miller from having to chase LeBron down for 48 minutes. Or maybe put Rudy on LeBron more in the 2nd half. Running Miller to death on defense negatively affects his offensive game.
-- Rudy is a freaking stud. He might still have a long way to go to be the star we all hope he will become, but he is a special player. Rudy is the player on our team I feel most comfortable with taking shots the important shots, the shots at the end of the shot clock when all went south, the shots that end scoring droughts, the shots that win games. He was 12 for 22 from the field (3-6 beyond the arc) and had the most shot attempts on the team. And I wouldn't be upset if he got even more shot attempts. I know it sounds crazy to think that he should be shooting, say 25 or 30, times in a game, but if he did I think it would likely benefit the Griz, much like LeBron being a ball hog benefited the Cavs tonight.
Go read Brian Windhorst's game recap up on Ohio.com. Here is a good bullet he writes about Mike Miller guarding LeBron:
–Can’t believe the Grizzlies decided to let Mike Miller basically play LeBron James alone on a island for much of the night. Sometimes they double teamed but most of the time they left those two alone. Thus, LeBron puts in 51. You won’t see that again for awhile unless it’s Bruce Bowen. Miller was just disheartened by the end and the late doubles Memphis did bring only meant fouls and easy passes to open teammates. Meanwhile Marc Iavaroni says: “I thought our defense improved.”
Also, when Big Z got fouled in the 3rd quarter, sitting in the stands we thought something was funny. I'll let Brian explain:
–Funny moment in the third quarter. Zydrunas Ilgauskas got fouled and made the shot, which the officials waved off but still gave Z two shots. Which didn’t make sense. Mike Brown calls LeBron over and LeBron tells him: “They say he doesn’t get the basket because he traveled but they are still giving him the two shots. I’ve never heard that rule before in my life, but we’re going to roll with it, coach.”
Spartacus Says:
That is all.
Memphis vs Cleveland - 1.15.08
Special Ticket Offer: For the Martin Luther King Game on January 21st, the Grizzlies are selling Plaza 5, Plaza 6 and Plaza 7 tickets for $25 a piece. Club level tickets are $50 each and all Terrace level seats are $10. Call 205-1445 to take advantage of this offer. This offer is only good for today.
Memphis returns from a difficult stretch of games against the Pacific Division having played the Lakers, at Sacramento, at Golden St and at the Lakers all within 6 days. So instead of getting a few days off to recuperate and maybe a game against the Knicks, TWolves or Sonics Memphis gets one day off and then the defending Eastern Conference champs. Thanks Stu Jackson. Memphis left town with their heads between their legs and players pointing fingers. The team lost all three road games but should feel a lot better about themselves. Two heart breaking losses and a game where they could have rolled over but didn't showed the team has a spine which has been questioned all season.
Cleveland rode LeBron James to the NBA finals where they got run over by a great team. This season Cleveland has struggled with contract issues (Varejao and Pavlovic), injuries (Hughes, James and now Varejao) and frankly a shocking lack of depth behind LeBron. It would seem that LeBron should be able to recruit veterans at a lower rate like the Celtics Big Three did but that hasn't been the case so far. Cleveland hasn't played a game since January 11th so any bumps or bruises they have will probably be healed up pretty well. Thanks again Stu Jackson! Maybe they will have a rest hangover. Winning 5 of their last 6 games, The Cavs are one game above .500 right now which puts them solidly in the Eastern Conference playoff race. With a healthy team riding LeBron's back they should make the playoffs and then anything is possible.
Point Guards: Mike Conley vs Larry Hughes
There aren't many point guards starting in the NBA taller than Larry Hughes. The 6-5 steal monster knows passing lanes as well as anyone in the league and uses his long arms to get to balls others simply can't. If he could shoot he'd be deadly. Lucky for opponents Hughes is only hitting 36% of his FG attempts and 30% of his 3 pt attempts and he isn't shy about shooting either. As Hughes goes so go the Cavs as he averages 12 ppg on 43% shooting in wins but only 7 ppg on 22% shooting in losses. Conley is struggling to adapt to the NBA but his composure implies a great future. His speed can be incredible and he can hit the open jumper on occasion. He will need to be careful with sloppy passes around Hughes however.
Advantage: Cleveland
Shooting Guards: Mike Miller vs Aleksandar Pavlovic
A 6-7 Serbian national, Pavlovic has the size to give Miller trouble shooting over him and the hustle to surprise you if you take him for granted but he isn't really that strong of a player. Hitting only 33.8% of his FG attempts and 28.4% of his long range shots tend to make him forgettable when discussing SG's in the league. Pavlovic has hit for double figures twice since Dec 3rd. Miller is playing some of the best ball of the season right now including a team high 27 points against the Lakers when he shot 11-16 from the field. Miller's main weakness has been defense and that shouldn't be a huge problem against Pavlovic. However, if Rudy gets into early foul trouble don't be surprised to see Miller on James and Rudy on Pavlovic.
Advantage: Memphis
Small Forwards: Rudy Gay vs LeBron James
Is there a better all-around player in the NBA than LeBron James? Back to back games against Kobe and LeBron will give Memphis fans a very real chance to compare these two great players. LeBron is 23 and seemingly bound for immortality. Rudy is 21 and listed as 30 pounds lighter than LeBron. Rudy has to stay out of foul trouble (and possibly ask his girlfriend and any cousins to miss the game) to hang with LeBron. LeBron averages 29.1 ppg, 7.7 rpg and 7.5 apg. He hits 48% of his FG attempts and if there is a weakness it is his 3 pt shot which he only hits 28.2% of the time but in crunch time I wouldn't bet against him. Rudy is a great player but LeBron is legendary.
Advantage: Cleveland
Power Forwards: Pau Gasol vs Drew Gooden
Drew Gooden was drafted 5 years ago by the Memphis Grizzlies but was traded during his rookie season for Mike Miller. Drew struggled his first few years in the league trying to determine if he was a 3 or a 4 and if he was supposed to be a scorer or a role player. Rumor has it he finally realizes he is a role player and a power forward. This season he is averaging 12.1 ppg and 8.9 rpg but only shooting 43.6% from the field so maybe he still takes too many bad shots. Gasol called out the team after the first Laker loss and has been a beast ever since. In the last three games since his comments went public Gasol has averaged 27.67 ppg, 11.33 rpg and shot 61.4% from the field. His 8 assists against the Lakers were a season high and the four blocks tied a season high as well. In 18 games since the end of November Gasol is averaging 20.5 ppg, 10.11 rpg and shooting 3.28 apg while shooting 50.01% from the floor. Maybe there was something to the stories about him being injured to start the season.
Advantage: Memphis
Centers: Darko Milicic vs Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Big Z is nearing the end of an up and down career. Having fought through numerous injuries and some terrible teams, Ilgauskas will turn 33 in June and one has to wonder how many years the big guy has left. Ilguaskas is averaging 13.1 ppg but that is on the lower end of his career average but his rebounding is at a career high. He's still able to block an occasional shot but he looks slower and slower every day. Darko is on the upside of his career. The 22 yr old finally has found a starting spot he can hold onto and is trying to make the most of his opportunity. He averages 2.7 bpg but still finds it difficult to score consistently and his free throw shooting is atrocious. Darko can not afford to get into early foul trouble either since Memphis has no one to match Ilgauskas inside outside of Darko.
Advantage: Cleveland
Benches: Memphis vs Cleveland
If there is one area that the Grizzlies could hold a decisive advantage it is off the bench. Daniel Gibson is the most reliable bench scorer for the Cavs but as a backup PG his 2.7 apg leave a lot to be desired and his strength matches up directly with Kyle Lowry's strength which is defense. Memphis looked hard at Anderson Varejao over the summer but felt the investment was too great for the upside potential. So far that has seemed to be a smart decision as Varejao wanted a lot more money than Darko signed for, missed all of training camp and part of the season holding out and hasn't progressed the way people expected this season. Still Varejao is a hustle player who's intensity will need to be matched. After those two the options dwindle fast with Shannon Brown, Devin Brown and Ira Newble being the main contributors. Memphis' bench has come back to life on the road trip with Lowry, Juan Carlos Navarro, Hakim Warrick all contributing at times and newly signed wingman Bobby Jones looking very good in limited minutes.
Advantage: Memphis
Relevant Storylines:
Cleveland Cavaliers Head Coach Mike Brown was given a two year contract extension today.
Local reaction to LeBron's speeding ticket. (via TrueHoop)
LeBron speaks about his vehicular misdeeds. (Fanhouse)
Cleveland one of ten teams looking to trade? (TrueHoop)
LeBron's MVP candidacy. (via Yahoo! NBA Experts Blog)
Relevant blogs and previews:
Grizzlies.com Preview
Brian Windhorst (Akron Beacon Journal)
Pete Pranica's Preview
Cleveland Sports Authority (Preview)
Cavalier Attitude
Cavaliers Corner
Cleveland Cavaliers Blog
Hoopsworld Preview
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