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Date: Friday, Feb. 20, 2009
Where: Bradley Center
Time: 8:30 pm [EST]
TV: FSOhio HD
Radio: WTAM 110
Bradley Center For tickets visit www.ticketcity.com:
Coaches
Mike Brown
Scott Skiles
Probable Starting Lineups
Cavs Starters
Mo Williams
Tarence Kinsey
LeBron James
Ben Wallace
Z
Bucks Starters
Ramon Sessions
Richard Jefferson
Charlie Villanueva
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
Francisco Elson
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Reserves
Cavs Reserves
Daniel Gibson
J.J. Hickson
Darnell Jackson
Trey Johnson
Sasha Pavlovic (out)
Wally
Anderson Varejao
Delonte West (out)
Lorenzen Wright
Eric Snow (NBA TV)
Bucks Reserves
Malik Allen
Joe Alexander
Charlie Bell
Keith Bogans
Dan Gadzuric
Eddie Gill
Luke Ridnour
Damon Jones
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Injuries
Bango, the Bucks mascot, tore an ACL at the All-Star Game.
Cavs
Sasha Pavlovic - ankle
Eric Snow - knee
Ben Wallace - forearm (game-time decision)
Delonte West - wrist (out)
Bucks
Andrew Bogut - out
Michael Redd - out
Poor Bango: this is how it happened.
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Without all of the injuries, the Bucks would likely be competing for the #4 seed in the Eastern Conference. It’s impressive they’ve held it together so well to date. They're much more competitive than any of the pictures above might suggest.
Currently, the Bucks are 27-30 in the 8th playoff spot. 5-5 in their last 10. The last time they were over .500 was at 3–2, but they have hovered near .500 all year despite injuries to Redd, Bogut, and, more recently, Ridnour (back tonight). Carrying the scoring load are Sessions, Villanueva, and Jefferson. All three are capable of big nights – recent games have seen Sessions go for 44, Jefferson and Villanueva each for 32. But no one else averages over 7.5 points/game. The Bucks were expected to be more active on the trading market (Jefferson, Villanueva, etc.) but the only trade they made came before the break, when they sent 3rd-string PG Lue to Orlando for Keith Bogans to shore up their defense at SG.
The injury bug has gotten so bad, even the Bucks mascot is down for the count. Bango tore an ACL ligament in his right knee while performing at the celebrity game at the NBA All-Star Weekend in Phoenix. Bango will have knee surgery and will cut back on high-flying dunks for the foreseeable future.
Currently, the Bucks are 27-30 in the 8th playoff spot. 5-5 in their last 10. The last time they were over .500 was at 3–2, but they have hovered near .500 all year despite injuries to Redd, Bogut, and, more recently, Ridnour (back tonight). Carrying the scoring load are Sessions, Villanueva, and Jefferson. All three are capable of big nights – recent games have seen Sessions go for 44, Jefferson and Villanueva each for 32. But no one else averages over 7.5 points/game. The Bucks were expected to be more active on the trading market (Jefferson, Villanueva, etc.) but the only trade they made came before the break, when they sent 3rd-string PG Lue to Orlando for Keith Bogans to shore up their defense at SG.
The injury bug has gotten so bad, even the Bucks mascot is down for the count. Bango tore an ACL ligament in his right knee while performing at the celebrity game at the NBA All-Star Weekend in Phoenix. Bango will have knee surgery and will cut back on high-flying dunks for the foreseeable future.
Previous Contests
Game 1 (Cavs 99 – Bucks 93, Nov. 11, 2008)
Keys for the CavsA close game as the score indicates. LeBron dominated this game, scoring 41 points, as the Cavs won 99-93 in the 8th game of the season. He played big minutes (43) and the Cavs needed them, putting the Bucks away in the latter part of the 4th quarter.. Mo with 16, Z with 15, Varejao with 13 points and 10 rebounds (including a big 8 points in the 4th quarter). Bucks kept things close without Redd as Jefferson scored 19 and Ridnour 17 (who got hot in the 2nd half). Cavs got the better of them on the boards. Bucks had no answer for LeBron.
Game 2 (Cavs 97 – Bucks 85, Nov. 29, 2008)
This game was closer than the score appears. A rusty Michael Redd returned after an ankle sprain but it was his teammates who played better. The Cavs struggled with their shooting in this 4th game in 5 nights before finally putting the Bucks away. Sasha hit a big 3-pointer after the Bucks cut the lead to 79-77, then the Cavs turned to LeBron late in the 4th, and he scored 11 straight points, finishing with 32 on a bad shooting night. This game came during that amazing Cavs streak of blowouts but was more hard fought than all of the others. Z had 23 points and 17 rebounds to keep the Cavs going until LeBron finally got on track. Cavs shot 41.5% and won by dominating the boards, 53-38, which led to 22 second-chance points and 19 offensive rebounds. Mo shot 6-20, sometimes looking like he had something to prove but the shots weren’t dropping. Jefferson had 19, Sessions had 16, Ridnour had 15, most in the 2nd half when he was raining 3s for a bit.
1. Don’t take the Bucks lightly (even if RCF game threads poke fun).
It’s hard to take the Bucks seriously since they have lost 3 starters but they have been staying afloat. They’re 5-3 in their last 8 games, with one OT loss to the Pistons, a road loss to the Nets, and a home loss in the first game after the All-Star break to an undermanned Bulls team. The Bucks remain capable of outgunning other teams on good shooting nights, especially at home where they are 16-10.
2. Stop Sessions
Ramon Sessions has had some huge games recently, singlehandedly beating Detroit and a few other teams. In addition to 40+ points versus Detroit, he crushed the Pacers with 15 points and 17 assists. Assuming a larger role in place of the injured Ridnour, he’s been averaging 22 points, nearly 9 assists, and 5 rebounds in the past six games. Making less than $750K after coming out of the D-League last year, Sessions is one of the best stories and one of the best deals in the league. Cavs need to make him be a good story for a different day. If they stop Sessions and don’t lose total track of Jefferson and Villanueva, Cavs win. Bucks do not have other starters or bench players who are making a huge impact other than Mbah a Moute on an occasional basis. Bogans has got more practice time and should be watched at the 3-point line.
3. Rebound
Bucks have rebounded better than their opponents (more so before Bogut went down) but have not rebounded well against the Cavs. Villanueva, Mbah a Moute, and Elson share the load but none has had a monster rebounding game since November. Cavs have pounded them on the boards twice, and there’s no reason they can’t do it again. If the Cavs fail to rebound, they better get back on transition defense.
4. Get the Ball to Z
Watch Toronto game tape and repeat.
5. Protect the Best Winning % in the East
Keep the pressure on following a Celtics loss and during a Celtics road trip. Get rolling in the 2nd half.
6. Bottom Line
Will either team be flat or pumped up after the Trade Deadline? Cavs win this game if they show up as a championship-minded team of professionals. Hit the boards, defend the main Bucks threats, get the ball to Z, and, when in need, look to LeBron. It’s Mo’s second game back in Milwaukee, so I expect he’ll shoot better than last time (6-20), when he seemed out of sync, unless the stomach bug Windhorst reported lingers.
