Cavs @ Rockets (Thursday 8PM, TNT)

[chiefwahoo]

@

Thursday, February 7, 2008
8:00 pm ET, Toyota Center, Houston, TX
TV: TNT HD, Radio: WTAM 1100

Houston Rockets

PG Rafer Alston

ESPN's Scouting Report

A streaky outside shooter, Alston can be effective when the long ball is dropping. He shoots 35.8 percent from downtown for his career, but he is far less effective once he steps inside the arc. He's a solid ballhandler, though, and a decent penetrator who can set up shots for others with his drives.

Defensively, Alston has his ups and downs. While coach Jeff Van Gundy got a lot out of him last season, his lack of size tends to be an issue against bigger guards, and he's not exactly ironclad in terms of cutting off penetration. Alston's best asset may be his endurance. The Rockets routinely left him in until partway through the second quarter, and did the same in the second half; this never appeared to bother him.

SG Tracy McGrady

ESPN's Scouting Report

McGrady continues to be one of the best midrange jump shooters in the game. At 6-8, he can elevate over defenders going in either direction and has a smooth, accurate stroke.

Last season he made 44.4 percent of his long 2-pointers, an outstanding percentage considering the volume of shots he took from that distance (over eight per game). Of the players who took over 400 shots from that distance last season, only Dirk Nowitzki and Ben Gordon converted a higher percentage. One of McGrady's favorite tricks is to start at the left elbow, dribble right, then spin back to his left and go up with the jumper.

The only concern is just how frequently he's relying on the midrange shot. McGrady took 40.7 percent of his shots from that distance last season; the most of any player with over 1,000 field-goal attempts. In raw terms, only Kobe Bryant had more long 2-point attempts, and that was with McGrady missing 11 games.

Meanwhile, McGrady's 3-point and free-throw marks have slumped. Last season he hit a career-worst 70.7 percent from the line, a shameful mark for such a great shooter. He wasn't much better on 3-pointers, hitting 33.1 percent -- he seems to be more comfortable shooting off the dribble than just catching and shooting on a kickout from a teammate.

McGrady is just an average defender, as most of his energy is spent at the other end of the floor. His health is also an issue, as repeated back problems have cost him chunks of games each of the past two seasons. However, a back specialist he visited last season had him feeling in much better spirits, providing hope that he can make it through this season relatively unscathed.

SF Shane Battier

ESPN's Scouting Report

OK, now that I've deconstructed his offense, let's get back to that defense, because it's pretty impressive. Battier was the Rockets' primary defensive stopper, and despite often giving up a quickness advantage to smaller guards he did very well in that role.

In addition, he managed to be a great team defender, especially when rotating off the ball for blocks and charges -- Battier ranked ninth in the NBA in offensive fouls drawn, according to 82games.com, and was 16th among small forwards in his rate of blocked shots. Overall, he's an even better team defender than he is one-on-one. The only place to nitpick is that his rebound rate declined from his marks in Memphis.

I nominated Battier for first-team All-Defense when I ranked defensive players at season's end, and I was surprised to see that he was left off the team entirely. Two of the wing players voted ahead of him, Raja Bell and Tayshaun Prince, are fine defenders, but I'm dubious that they had anywhere near the impact Battier had. The Rockets ranked third overall in defensive efficiency, narrowly missing out on the top spot, and Battier was unquestionably the best defender of the bunch, so it seems a little odd that he was left out in the voting.

PF Luis Scola

ESPN's Scouting Report

The Rockets finally liberated Scola from Europe after executing a brilliant trade that got his rights from the Spurs, along with big man Jackie Butler, for cash and Vassilis Spanoulis.

Scola has been one of the two or three best players in Europe for the past half decade and should start immediately at power forward for the Rockets. He's more of a midrange shooter than a straight-up post player, but his best skills are the subtle stuff -- passing, moving without the ball and team defense.

Born in Argentina, he was the second-best player on that country's gold-medal winning team in the 2004 Olympics.

C Yao Ming

ESPN's Scouting Report

Once Yao catches the ball on the block he's virtually impossible to stop because he's so tall and is such a good short-range shooter. That's particularly true from the right block, where he uses what is basically a standing turnaround jumper -- he catches the ball with his body half turned and just shoots immediately. He also has a step-back jumper that's even more impossible to block than his normal shots. Additionally, he's getting wiser at using trickery such as shot fakes and leaning in to draw fouls, something he never used to do.

Teams dealt with Yao by either double-teaming or fronting; either was preferable to just letting him catch and shoot. The Warriors were particularly effective fronting him in a late-season game, partly because they didn't have to respect Houston's other shooters and could rotate help from the weak side. The Rockets hope their offseason additions will change that.

Doubling was the more common strategy, and Yao needs to get better at dealing with swarming hands. Though he's a willing passer, there are still times he seems befuddled by quicker teams' rotations.

HOUSTON ROTATION

Bonzi Wells (SF) / Carl Landry (PF) / Chuck Hayes (PF) / Aaron Brooks (PG)

HOUSTON BENCH
>> Dikembe Motumbo (C)
>> Mike James (PG)
>> Steve Novak (PF)

INJURY REPORT
Luther Head (PG) - questionable with groin injury.
Kirk Snyder (SG) - out indefinitely with personal issue.
Steve Francis (PG) - out for the season with quadricep injury.

Cleveland Cavaliers

PG Larry Hughes

ESPN's Scouting Report

Hughes found a new niche last season when he took over as the Cavs' starting point guard. This is strictly a ceremonial title, as LeBron James does most of the team's ballhandling, but it allowed the Cavs to play a huge backcourt of the 6-5 Hughes and the 6-7 Sasha Pavlovic and cemented what was already a strong defensive squad.

While Hughes isn't the offensive player he was in Washington, he's been better on defense. He stopped all the gambling that defined his Wizards tenure and become a much more consistent defender, with his quickness allowing him to keep up with most point guards. His foot injury was a major reason Tony Parker shredded Cleveland's defense so easily in the Finals.

Offensively, Hughes is a natural slasher but also likes to shoot jumpers from the right elbow while going to his right. Shot selection has always been an issue for him, especially regarding his wobbly jumper, and despite getting fewer attempts in Cleveland he hasn't become more accurate.

He's also started using a slow, deliberate shot fake on his jumper which acts as something of an idiot test for defenders. There's no reason to bite on the fake because getting Hughes to shoot a long J is a victory for the defense, but guys fell for it all season.

SG Ira Newble

ESPN's Scouting Report

Newble is a limited offensive player because he can't handle the ball and doesn't have a great first step. That has mostly confined him to spot-up jumpers from the corners, and it's a shot that has deserted him the past couple seasons. A tough defender in his prime, he's become a step slow at age 32 but still does well in strength matchups against bigger wings.

SF LeBron James

ESPN's Scouting Report

One reason James often ends up trying to make a heroic shot at the end of the clock is because there is so little going on up until that point. James tends to be far too methodical when attacking defenses, often waiting several seconds to read the defense before he attacks. That tends to bring the offense to a halt and makes it easier for help defenders to collapse on him. His habit of retreating when double-teamed on the pick-and-roll only exacerbates this problem.

This is particularly noticeable when James tries to post up. Despite his imposing physique, James rarely attacks opponents on the blocks and isn't terribly effective when he does. All he does is wait for the double-team instead of making a quick move, neutralizing what should be his best tool.

Of course, other players would kill for such problems. James is an amazingly good ball handler for his size, acting as the Cavs' de facto point guard and ranking 12th among small forwards in assist ratio. He's almost impossible to stop once he gets some momentum toward the basket and, though a streaky shooter, can get his shot off over anyone. James is also a devastating finisher in transition, making it unfortunate the Cavs can't find a guard to help push the tempo more often.

Defensively, James does a poor job fighting through screens but the rest of his game has become pretty solid. He's still better at playing passing lanes than he is at making help-side plays or taking charges, and he rarely guards the opponent's top scorer. On the other hand, nobody seems particularly anxious to attack him, and he's virtually impossible to post up against.

PF Drew Gooden

ESPN's Scouting Report

Gooden's best asset isn't his scoring, but his rebounding. Despite a slender build, Gooden is a force on the glass because of his quick hops and a nose for the ball. Gooden had the sixth-best rebound rate among power forwards last season, and that was completely consistent with what he'd done the previous two campaigns.

Gooden can be a frustrating player because of his concentration lapses. He'll lose track of his man or forget a play and go the wrong way. He cemented this impression at the end of Game 5 of the Cleveland-Detroit series, when the Cavs had a four-point lead in the final seconds and you could see LeBron James screaming at Gooden during a timeout to stay on the floor. The first thing Gooden did? Take a flying leap at Rasheed Wallace while he was shooting a 3-pointer -- even though the only way Detroit could tie was by being fouled on a triple.

People tend to focus on Gooden's mental lapses, but he also makes a lot of positive plays at the defensive end. Gooden is very quick for his size and his ability to switch out on guards on screens or rotate off his man is one of the reasons the Cavs were the league's fourth-best defense last season. He's not as good in post defense, where his lack of strength becomes a factor, and he's a poor shot-blocker, but overall he's a solid defensive player.

C Zydrunas Ilgauskas

ESPN's Scouting Report

Though the Cavs go to him less often these days, the 7-3 Ilgauskas is still a weapon in the post. He's become increasingly reliant on a sweeping one-handed hook shot going to his right, although he also has a nice touch on turnarounds going to either side.

Ilgauskas is also very dangerous on the offensive boards, where despite a lack of elevation he has an almost Rodman-like knack for tipping the ball multiple times before either possessing it or tipping it in. Along with his height, that same ability makes him very good on jump balls.

Defensively, Ilgauskas has the size to be an effective deterrent around the basket, but struggles when he is pulled farther from the basket. Teams try to attack him in screen-and-roll plays, where he struggles to help on the guard and still get back to his man. For that reason, Anderson Varejao often finished games in the middle instead of Ilgauskas.

CLEVELAND ROTATION

Daniel Gibson (PG) / Dwayne Jones (PF) / Damon Jones (G) / Devin Brown (G-F) / Donyell Marshall (PF)

CLEVELAND BENCH
>> Eric Snow (PG)
>> Cedric Simmons (PF)

INJURY REPORT
Drew Gooden (PF) - Propable with a groin injury.
Anderson Varejao (PF) - Out with a sprained ankle until at least the All-Star break.
Sasha Pavlovic (SG) - Out until at least March with a foot sprain.

Game Preview:

by STATS LLC

As 2007 came to a close, both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Houston Rockets were underachieving as their big-name players failed to deliver. Just over a month later, LeBron James has the Cavaliers in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff picture, while Tracy McGrady has the Rockets closing in a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Cleveland and Houston both look to continue their impressive starts to the new year as they meet Thursday at the Toyota Center.

On New Year's Eve, the Cavaliers (27-20) were tied with Philadelphia for ninth place in the East at 14-17, while the Rockets (28-20) were 10th in the West at 15-16.

Since Jan. 1, however, Cleveland has the league's second-best record at 13-3, while Houston is 13-4. The Cavs have jumped all the way to fourth place in the East, and the Rockets have moved a game back of Golden State for the West's final playoff spot.

"I think as a team, we are playing with a lot of confidence and we are playing together so well right now," said Cleveland's Daniel Gibson after Tuesday's 114-113 victory over Boston.

The Cavs have won four of their last five, and improved to 2-1 against the Celtics.

"It definitely means something," James said about beating the team with the league's best record. "We want to continue to play well and we want to continue to win. We know we can play with any team in the NBA."

James had another outstanding game on Tuesday, finishing with 33 points, 12 assists, nine rebounds and five steals. The four-time All-Star is averaging 35.0 points, 10.0 boards and 6.4 assists in his last five games.

James had 32 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists in his last game against the Rockets, a 91-85 victory on March 5. The No. 1 overall pick of the 2003 draft is averaging 30.3 points, 8.0 boards and 5.5 assists in his last four games against Houston.

The Cavs and Rockets split the season series in 2006-07, with each team winning at home.

Houston is coming off a 92-86 victory over Minnesota on Monday, its fourth straight win.

McGrady had 26 points, including five in the final 70 seconds, to help the Rockets improve to 8-1 since he returned from missing 11 games with a sore left knee. McGrady is averaging 24.8 points and 7.8 assists in four games since returning to Houston's starting lineup.

"Tracy is getting better. He's still not in the greatest of shape missing all that time, but he played the whole second half tonight and you saw how he finished," Rockets coach Rick Adelman said.

McGrady struggled in the two games against the Cavaliers last season, though, scoring just 32 points on 13-of-37 shooting in after averaging 33.1 points in his previous 13 games against them.

Yao Ming had 40 points and 16 rebounds in the two games against Cleveland last season. Yao, the first overall pick of the 2002 draft, is averaging 28.4 points and 14.8 boards in his last five home games.

AccuScore Prediction
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=============================================
CHIEF'S PREDICTION
CAVS - 93
Rockets - 91
=============================================

^ Maybe these Rockets dancers can motivate Andy to play in this one?

​

 

[Splitz]

We cannot get into a situation where we are letting the other team eclipse 100 points like last game. We cannot rely on the fact that we will be able to gun it with these guys and have Ira, Larry, Boobie, and Z all have good offensive input again. We have let teams go over 100 on us 5 of the last 11 games. We need some improvement on the defensive side.

 

[Rick Astley]

We'll win.

 

[crabbyshark]

Those Rocket girls are f-ing hot!!!!!! DAYUM!

 

[Splitz]

We'll win.

Don't be so negative... it's such a drag!

 

[Houston RZ34]

I'll be there in my LeBron Jersey wearing a Tribe Cap with my Leather Browns Jacket

 

[Joe Henderson]

I'll be there in my LeBron Jersey wearing a Tribe Cap with my Leather Browns Jacket

Cool. I hope you know your job, undercover heckler. :chuckles:

 

[Splitz]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/sports/5522052.html

McGrady had a severe upper respiratory infection and might not play.

 

[Houston RZ34]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/sports/5522052.html

McGrady had a severe upper respiratory infection and might not play.

Local guys are shiting bricks lmfao :chuckles:

 

[CornerThree]

It'll be amazing if the first thing out of the TNT telecast states something to the effect of that Newble and Simmons are not with the team tonight "for unknown reasons." Then around halftime we get word that they've been traded, w/ Sasha, for Mike Miller.

 

[Splitz]

It'll be amazing if the first thing out of the TNT telecast states something to the effect of that Newble and Simmons are not with the team tonight "for unknown reasons." Then around halftime we get word that they've been traded, w/ Sasha, for Mike Miller.

would be nice but would make our roster even thinner then it already is tonight. Likely the first thing out of the TNT broadcast tonight will be Charles Barkley saying something to the effect of "Ya know Ernie, this Cleveland team is just Terrrrrrbbbbbblle" This is the same guy that said we will not even make the playoffs this season.

 

[Houston RZ34]

would be nice but would make our roster even thinner then it already is tonight. Likely the first thing out of the TNT broadcast tonight will be Charles Barkley saying something to the effect of "Ya know Ernie, this Cleveland team is just Terrrrrrbbbbbblle" This is the same guy that said we will not even make the playoffs this season.

He's hating cause we have a chance at something he NEVER got.......a Ring.

 

[CBBI]

No McGrady definately evens things out tonight.

Houston hasn't been kind to the Cavaliers in the past, but if Tracy is out, I like our chances.

 

[B Mac]

Barkley also picked the Nets to win the East, along with us not making the playoffs. I wouldnt take him too seriously.

 

[Houston RZ34]

A little over an hour before tipoff, I'm outta here folks - Look for a Big Puerto Rican kid behind the Basket!!!