Browns Are Streaking After Record Setting Day!
December 20, 2009While We’re Waiting… Dunking on a Reindeer, Glen Beck’s Anti Helmet, and Cliff Lee’s Value
December 21, 2009Cleveland Cavaliers (20-7) vs
Dallas Mavericks (19-8)
American Airlines Center, Dallas
Sunday, December 20, 2009
7:30 PM EST
NBATV/FSOH/WTAM
The Browns have their first win streak in over a year after amazing incredible record-setting days from Josh PayTheMan Cribbs and Jerome F. Harrison. Even though the season is lost, it was still a thrilling day that will hopefully be capped off by a Cavalier win in Dallas to start their toughest week of the season. The Mavs are coming off a home loss Friday night to the Houston Rockets. In that game, superstar Dirk Nowitzki collided so violently with Carl Landry that fragments of Landry’s teeth were found embedded under the skin in Dirk’s elbow and had the Dallas medical staff extremely worried. He sat out of Mavs practice yesterday and was questionable going into tonight’s game. In the past hour it was confirmed that Dirk will be out for tonight’s game. Needless to say, this is a huge break for the Cavs and provides an opening for them to take the first game on this tough road trip
This will be a quick Sunday night preview. Yesterday I detailed the daunting week ahead for the Cavs in an overview of this trip west. The Cavs have played to the level of their competition all season. The one game this season that just never seemed within reach occurred during their last trip to Texas against Houston. But the Cavs are 7-2 against teams above .500 this season. They have played Dallas well recently and have a four game win streak against the Mavs heading into tonight. This includes a win earlier this year at the Q Thanksgiving weekend. It was the infamous Ilgauskas DNP-CD game in which the Cavs had a comfortable lead for a majority of the game. Coach Brown’s reasoning for holding Z out of that game centered on Dallas playing a small lineup without Erick Dampier. “Ericka,” as Shaq so fondly refers to him, should be in the lineup tonight. But the major news regarding Dallas’ lineup is obviously the absence of Nowitzki. With Dirk out, Drew Gooden or Tim Thomas could fill in or the Mavs could go small with Shawn Marion at PF and Quinton Ross at SF.
Projected Starting Lineups
Cleveland Cavaliers:
-G Mo Williams (16.6 ppg, 4.8 apg, 1.4 spg, 16.04 PER)
-G Anthony Parker (7.3 ppg, 1.7 apg, .500 3P%, 9.42 PER)
-F LeBron James (28.8 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 8.0 apg, 30.32 PER)
-F JJ Hickson (7.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 0.4 bpg, 13.89 PER)
-C Shaquille O’Neal (10.9 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.4 bpg, 16.11 PER)
Key Reserves: Anderson Varejao, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Delonte West, Daniel Gibson, Jamario Moon
Injuries: Leon Powe (out)
Dallas Mavericks:
-G Jason Kidd (8.4 ppg, 9.2 apg, 5.7 rpg, 16.03 PER)
-G Jose Juan Barea (9.7 ppg, 4.0 apg, 43% 3pt, 13.69 PER)
-F Shawn Marion (12.1 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 1.5 apg, 15.86 PER)
-F Drew Gooden (7.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 1.2 bpg, 11.76 PER)
-C Erick Dampier (8.2 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 2.2 bpg, 17.45 PER)
Key Reserves: Jason Terry, Josh Howard, Tim Thomas, Quinton Ross
Injuries: Dirk Nowitzki (out)
Team Efficiency Stats
Cleveland Cavaliers:
-Off (99.4 ppg, 41.5 rpg, .479 FG%, 21.0 apg, 14.7 TOpg, Eff-106.8, Rank-8)
-Def (94.0 ppg, 39.3 rpg, .432 FG%, Eff-99.8, Rank-5)
Dallas Mavericks:
-Off (101.6 ppg, 43.8 rpg, .459 FG%, 23.0 apg, 13.8 TOpg, Eff-106, Rank-10)
-Def (96.8 ppg, 42.8 rpg, .440 FG%, Eff-99.7, Rank-4)
Previous Matchups
- Dallas 95 at Cleveland 111 – 11/28/09 [box]
Vegas Line
Dallas +3.5
Over/Under 188
Next Game For The Cavaliers
Monday, December 20, 2009
9:00 PM EST
Cleveland Cavaliers at Phoenix Suns
FSOH/NBATV/WTAM
61 Comments
LeBron is playing really bad basketball tonight. Like really bad.
The Cavs looked disinterested for the last couple of minutes. To wit, down 98-93 with about 30 seconds left, they basically let the Mavs run the shot clock all the way down without fouling and then gave up a bucket. Umm, I’m not a basketball coach, but I’m pretty sure when you’re down by two possessions and the game clock is that low you have to foul to extend the game. I guess Brown and the boys felt like if they got a stop they could get 5 points in 10 seconds.
At what point does someone tell LeBron to quick freaking crying and stop hoisting up horrible shots?
Who would have thought we’d see the day when the Browns win and the Cavs lose.
Mike Brown needs to get better at recognizing when Shaq doesn’t have it early and pull him. His dead legs killed the Cavs tonight. Dallas is great when playing with a lead, and Shaq handed that lead right to them. I’ve defended Shaq quite a lot so far this season, but he was really terrible.
why did we even MAKE a draft pick if we’re never going to play him? with the crazy schedule and it being holiday time, i think D Green would be able to get some minutes. WTF?
So have we traded away Shaq yet? So we never have to see him on the court again?
I guess instead of making this team competitive, Ferry will just bank on Kobe, Wade, Nowitzki, Stoudemire, Garnett, Pierce, Howard, Joe Johnson, and Carmelo Anthony to all get hurt for the season so that way we can compete in the NBA.
I have a bad feeling about the Suns game. One thing I noticed tonight. LeBron’s shot gets blocked, he whines the Mavs go 5-4 on defense until he strolls down and at that point it was an easy two points for Dallas.
LeBron’s got quite an ego considering the only thing he’s won after 6.5 years is a bag of chips and a puppet version of himself. The guy does not get it. He doesn’t. He will never be a champion unless he (1) gets more of a killer instinct and (2) quits with the crying and hotdogging.
This team is going nowhere fast. They don’t have the stamina to beat a good team in 7 game series. Sorry.
Browns win, Cavs lose. Did I Quantam Leap back to 1989?
LeBron is a product of today’s ESPN driven NBA. It’s a total show. This Cavs team doesn’t have the talent to win a championship. The lack of leadership from the coaching staff empowers LeBron’s whiny behavior. So we live with moments of greatness and suffer through the tantrums and ill-advised three point prayer laden suck, but it would be a lot worse without the King show in town.