Cleveland Cavaliers (5-3) vs
Miami Heat (6-1)
AmAir Arena, Miami, FL
Thursday, November 12, 2009
8:00 PM EST
TNT
Coming off of a big win against the sinister Orlando Magic, the Cavs look to finish off the Florida back-to-back with a win against the Miami Heat. Good news is, with this nationally televised broadcast, there will actually be another free agent to discuss instead of LeBron James. James, on night two of his “no more free agency” talk, will likely welcome the addition of Miami’s Dwyane Wade into the fold; a deflection of sorts.
Despite sputtering out of the gate and the world almost coming to an end, the Cavs have now won six of seven games. The Heat, on the other hand, are looking to break a franchise record by starting off 7-1. There will also be another story line that will likely get some airplay as Shaquille O’Neal visits the city that provided him with his last championship ring. Let the drama commence!
Projected Starting Lineups
Cleveland Cavaliers:
-G Mo Williams (17.3 ppg, 4.3 apg, 0.8 spg, 15.86 PER)
-G Anthony Parker (9.5 ppg, 2.3 apg, .545 3P%, 9.84 PER)
-F LeBron James (26.3 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 8.0 apg, 30.37 PER)
-F JJ Hickson (2.5 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 0.0 bpg, 4.08 PER)
-C Shaquille O’Neal (11.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.8 bpg, 16.95 PER)
Key Reserves: Anderson Varejao, Delonte West, Daniel Gibson, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Jamario Moon
Injuries: Leon Powe (out)
Miami Heat:
– Mario Chalmers (9.9 ppg, 4.9 apg, 2.4 spg, 14.88 PER)
-G Dwyane Wade (29.9 ppg, 4.9 apg, 1.9 spg, 27.66 PER)
-F Quentin Richardson (9.0 ppg, 1.6 apg, .419 3p%, 11.01 PER)
-F Michael Beasley (12.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 0.6 bpg, 13.01 PER)
-C Jermaine O’Neal (13.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 1.1 bpg, 16.99 PER)
Key Reserves: Daequan Cook, James Jones, Udonis Haslem, Jamaal Magloire
Injuries: None of note
Previous Matchups
None
Future Matchups
- Mon, Jan 25 at Miami
- Thu, Feb 4 at Cleveland
Game Notes
The Cavaliers/Orlando Magic game was supposed to feature a ton of focus on the frontcourt play. With Shaquille O’Neal getting Dwight Howard in foul trouble, and then shortly following him to the bench along with Zydrunas Ilgauskas, it was the backcourt play of Mo Williams and LeBron James that led the way.
Conversely, it was the backcourt play of Dwyane Wade that singlehandedly topped the Washington Wizards with the All-Star guard dropping 41 points on 14-of-29 shooting. On top of his scoring efforts, Wade has put up six steals and four blocks in the last three contests. Likely drawing the most of the defensive duties on Wade will be Anthony Parker; we will find out shortly before game-time if Delonte West will be suiting up as he was inactive last night.
Though Miami is 6-1 this season, the Heat have only mustered three postseason wins since the departure of Shaquille O’Neal. The big man will lock up with another well-traveled veteran in Jermaine O’Neal who has managed to stay healthy for seven straight games.
Second year players Michael “Supercool Beas” Beasley and Mario Chalmers both provide Wade with solid complementary pieces that should only get better through time. Chalmers is not as much of an offensive threat – a positive for Mo Williams – but will likely provide more of a challenge on the defensive end than Mo experience with Jameer Nelson. The Quentin Richardson-James match-up will be one to watch; I would not be surprised to see Wade matched up on James, and vice-versa, at points in the game as Parker may be more suited for the long-range Richardson.
Those looking for a Twin Tower update will be glad to know that when Jermaine O’Neal is paired up with Udonis Haslem, Mike Brown may consider going with the two big men as neither Heat player offers much from the outside. Beasley, however, could provide some matchup issues if guarded by a slower big man.
Oh, and did you know that Dwyane Wade is a free agent at year’s end? And he’s from Chicago. Loves Chicago, actually. Chicago, Chicago, Chicago.
Vegas Line
Even
Over/Under 180
From The Outside Looking In
The Peninsula is Mightier
Sun-Sentinel (Ira Winderman)
Next Game For The Cavaliers
Saturday, November 14th
7:30 PM EST
Utah Jazz at Cleveland
FSN/WTAM
