Monday Rumblings
January 14, 2008Byrd, Indians roll on to Boston!!
January 15, 2008Cleveland Cavaliers (19-18) vs Memphis Grizzlies (10-27)
FedEx Forum, Memphis, Tennessee
Tuesday, January 15, 2008 8:00 PM
I feel like I’ve been neglecting the Cavaliers this season. With the deep playoff run by the Indians and the exciting Browns season, I must admit that I’ve left the Cavaliers fall to the back burner a bit. So allow me to introduce a new feature to the Cleveland Sports Authority site: Game Previews. Just a brief look at the upcoming games. I hope you enjoy these.
Starting Lineups (with PPG, RPG, APG, and Player Efficiency Ratings [league average=15.0])
Cleveland Cavaliers:
-G Larry Hughes (9.7 ppg, 2.7 apg, 8.33 PER)
-G Sasha Pavlovic (7.2 ppg, 1.7 apg, 5.71 PER)
-F LeBron James (29.1 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 7.5 apg, 29.71 PER)
-F Drew Gooden (12.1 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 13.26 PER)
-C Zydrunas Ilgauskas (13.1 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 17.92 PER)
Memphis Grizzlies:
-G Mike Conley Jr (7.9 ppg, 4.4 apg, 14.15 PER)
-G Mike Miller (16.4 ppg, 4.0 apg, 16.18 PER)
-F Rudy Gay (19.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.8 apg, 17.20 PER)
-F Pau Gasol (18.9 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 20.47 PER)
-C Darko Milicic (6.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 9.23 PER)
Team Efficiency Stats
Cleveland Cavaliers:
-Offense (95.6 ppg, 44.4 rpg, .430 FG%, .719 FT%, 19.1 apg, Efficiency-100.0, Eff Rank-21)
-Defense (98.1 ppg, 42.1 rpg, .459 FG%, Efficiency-103.2, Eff Rank-17)
Memphis Grizzlies:
-Offense (100.6 ppg, 41.6 rpg, .459 FG%, .752 FT%, 20.7 apg, Efficiency-102.9, Eff Rank-15)
-Defense (104.9 ppg, 43.9 rpg, .471 FG%, Efficiency-107.4, Eff Rank-28)
Game Notes:
This road game takes the Cavaliers into Memphis to take on a team with some bright young players, but a team that, frankly, plays no defense whatsoever. Rookie Mike Conley is still learning on the job, but showing some promise as of late after being slowed down by injury earlier in the season. 2nd year player Rudy Gay is having a breakout season. Mike Miller is a lethal sharp shooter when on. Pau Gasol is his steady and solid self. Where the Cavaliers can have an advantage early on is in post scoring. Z and Drew need to get established early, and the defense needs to do a good job extending on the Memphis shooters. The question will be, as always, who can guard LeBron and can the Cavs take advantage of double teams and hit open shots. Rudy Gay will have some problems with LeBron, but Gasol has the length and athleticism to help. The pick and roll with Varejao will create some opportunities as well.
The Grizzlies are a team that has won 3 in a row, but has still struggled to find its identity this season. As some of these young players continue to develop, the team should eventually find its way and be a more competitive team. For now, though, this is a game that the Cavaliers must take advantage of. They are coming off a nice 3 day rest and kicking off a road swing. This is one the Cavaliers will need to take advantage of and find a way to come out with a ‘W’ if they want to continue to show signs of a life as a team hoping to maintain its status as an Eastern Conference contender. The Cavaliers have won 3 in a row and 5 of the last 6 against Memphis, and they need to keep that string going.
Vegas Line
Memphis +2
Over/Under 197