Cavaliers Preview Game #41: Cavs at Jazz

Cleveland Cavaliers (30-10) vs
Utah Jazz (21-17)
Energy Solutions Arena, Salt Lake City, UT
Thursday, January 14, 2010
10:30 PM EST
TNT, FSOH/WTAM

This year the Cavaliers have had the habit of playing up or down to the level of their opponents. So playing on the road against a solid Western Conference team should have the Cavaliers ready to go. In many aspects, though, the Jazz are similar to the Cavaliers so it will be interesting to see what kind of focus level the Cavaliers come out with in this game. This has been an exhausting first half of the season with multiple Western Conference trips and multiple 4-games-in-5-nights instances already. This is game #4 of this 5 game west coast swing and the finish line is within sight. Get through the Jazz, avoid a let down against the Clippers, and then finally the Cavaliers get a 4 game home stand (5 in 6 as well). 

Projected Starting Lineups

Cleveland Cavaliers:

-G Mo Williams (16.9 ppg, 5.0 apg, 1.3 spg, 16.59 PER)
-G Anthony Parker (7.2 ppg, 1.8 apg, .475 3P%, 9.74 PER)
-F LeBron James (29.4 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 7.8 apg, 31.05 PER)
-F JJ Hickson (6.7 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 0.5 bpg, 12.53 PER)
-C Shaquille O’Neal (10.7 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1.1 bpg, 16.68 PER)

Key Reserves: Anderson Varejao, Delonte West, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Jawad Williams

Injuries: Jamario Moon (out), Leon Powe (out)

Utah Jazz:

-G Deron Williams (19.6 ppg, 9.7 apg, 1.1 spg, 20.69 PER)
-G Ronnie Brewer (10.3 ppg, 2.8 apg, .240 3P%, 13.73 PER)
-F CJ Miles (9.0 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.2 apg, 8.56 PER)
-F Carlos Boozer (19.2 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 0.5 bpg, 20.45 PER)
-C Mehmet Okur (12.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 0.9 bpg, 14.04 PER)

Key Reserves: Andrei Kirilenko, Paul Millsap, Wes Matthews, Eric Maynor, Ronnie Price, Kyle Korver

Injuries: CJ Miles (questionable)

Team Efficiency Stats

Cleveland Cavaliers:

-Off (101.0 ppg, 42.3 rpg, .483 FG%, 21.6 apg, 14.5 TOpg, Eff-108.2, Rank-5)
-Def (94.3 ppg, 38.1 rpg, .434 FG%, Eff-100.1, Rank-4)

Utah Jazz:

-Off (100.3 ppg, 40.4 rpg, .484 FG%, 25.8 apg, 14.9 TOpg, Eff-105.0, Rank-13)
-Def (96.8 ppg, 39.4 rpg, .454 FG%, Eff-102.5, Rank-11)

Previous Matchups

1. Utah 103 at Cleveland 107 – 11/14/09 [box]

Future Matchups

None

Game Notes

Last time out, these two teams played a very tight game where the Cavaliers needed 20 points from JJ Hickson to edge out the Jazz who were without Deron Williams. Tonight’s game, in Utah, will be much different with Deron Williams in the lineup and continuing to just be consistently great at running the offense from the PG spot.

The Cavs and the Jazz are extremely similar offensively, and their numbers in the “Four Factors” (eFG%, Turnover rate, Rebound Rate, and FT/FGA) bear that out. The only reason the Cavaliers are rated so much higher offensively than the Jazz is because the Cavaliers achieve the same numbers despite their slower pace (fewer possessions per 48 mins). In a game when the two teams play the same number of possessions, though, this could even out quite a bit, which means the Cavaliers defense needs to be especially sharp. The Jazz are excellent at operating out of their half court sets, with Deron Williams driving and setting up teammates for easy baskets. There’s a reason the Jazz are 3rd in the NBA in pts/game in the paint, and even though the Cavaliers are best in the NBA at keeping teams out of there, Williams’ ability to drive will put a lot of strain on that system.

Mo Williams struggles defending PGs like Deron Williams, and this is a matchup that worries me a lot. Delonte West is going to be a huge factor in this game. If he’s having a “bad day”, it could turn into a “bad night” for the rest of the Cavaliers. Delonte West must be allowed to guard Williams and keep him out of the lane as much as he can. That’s the whole key to stopping this Utah team, as they don’t adjust all that well to other styles of offense.

When the Cavaliers have the ball, I’d love to see them push the pace a little in this game. They rarely push their agenda on other teams, but if you can get out and run on the Jazz, you can get some easy baskets on them. They’re decent enough at defending the paint, but they will allow a lot of fast break points. Pushing the ball on fast breaks will open up some lanes for baskets in the paint as well. It’s not necessarily the Cavaliers’ style, but playing inside a hostile arena, I just hate seeing the Cavaliers allowing themselves to play exactly how the Jazz want them to.

Vegas Line

Utah –0 (Even)
Over/Under 194.5

Next Game For The Cavaliers

Saturday, January 16, 2010
10:30 PM EST
Cleveland Cavaliers at Los Angeles Clippers
FSOH/WTAM