Game 77 | Spurs @ Cavs | April 5, 2009 | 1:00 PM (ET)

[wuck]

Subbing in -- All best wishes to RonG and family.

@

Date: Sunday, April 5, 2009
Where: Quicken Loans Arena
Time: 1:00 pm [EST]
TV: ABC
Radio: WTAM 1100

The Q: For tickets visit www.ticketcity.com:

Coaches

Greg Popovich / Mike Brown


Starting Lineups


Cavs Starters

Mo Williams

Delonte West

LeBron James

Darnell Jackson

Z


Spurs Starters

Tony Parker

Manu Ginobili

Michael Finley

Matt Bonner

Tim Duncan
​

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • ​

Reserves​

Cavs Reserves
​

Daniel Gibson

J.J. Hickson

Tarence Kinsey

Sasha

Joe Smith

Anderson Varejao (out: wrist contusion)

Wally

Ben Wallace (out: leg)

Lorenzen Wright
​

Spurs Reserves

Bruce Bowen

Drew Gooden

Malik Hairston

George Hill

Ian Mahinmi

Roger Mason

Fabricio Oberto

Kurt Thomas

Ime Udoka

Jacque Vaughan



• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Injuries

Cavs

Anderson Varejao - wrist contusion
Ben Wallace - leg
(Eric Snow was released: LINK)

Spurs

No significant injuries
​

Previous Contests

Game 1 (Cavs 97 - Spurs 86, Feb. 27, 2009)

After getting beaten badly in Houston and losing Ben Wallace to a broken leg the night before, the Cavs got it together to take down the Spurs, who were without Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili. LeBron scored 30 and grabbed 14 rebounds. Cavs held down Tony Parker (who had averaged 38 points in his previous 2 games) to 11 points on 3-of-16 shooting. Delonte West added 17 points and Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 10 for Cleveland.​

ESPN Spurs-Cavaliers Preview

At this point of the season, the Cleveland Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs should be hitting their stride in preparation for a title run. Neither has been playing like a championship-caliber team lately, though.

The Cavaliers look to break out of their funk and avoid losing three straight for the first time in a year Sunday when they host a Spurs team trying to get back on track after a lackluster defensive performance.

With the postseason less than two weeks away, Cleveland (61-15) is hoping to secure home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. The Cavs have a 3 1/2-game lead over second-place Boston in the Eastern Conference and a one-game advantage over the West-leading Los Angeles Lakers.

After having a franchise-record 13-game winning streak come to an end with Thursday's 109-101 loss to Washington -- the East's worst team -- Cleveland suffered a humiliating 116-87 defeat to Orlando on Friday. The Cavs shot 36.9 percent from the field and trailed by as many as 41 as the Magic handed them their most lopsided loss of the season.

"It's embarrassing," said LeBron James, who never found his rhythm, finishing with 26 points on 7-of-20 shooting.

The Cavs have lost back-to-back games for just the second time in 2008-09. They have not dropped three in a row since March 22-29 of last season.

Cleveland has the league's best scoring defense (91.3), but it's been completely out of sync over the last two games.
After allowing an average of 91.3 points on 42.2 percent shooting during their win streak, the Cavs have given up an average of 112.5 points on 52.1 percent shooting in their two April games.

"It's not about how many games you lose, it's about how you lose them," James said. "The last two games weren't how we play the game of basketball."

Returning to Cleveland should help the Cavs get back on track.

Cleveland plays four of its final six games at Quicken Loans Arena, where it's 36-1 on the season.

The Spurs (49-26) arrive in Cleveland also trying to shake off a couple of poor performances -- uncharacteristic for a team vying for the second seed in the competitive West.

San Antonio thrives on playing suffocating defense, but it looked flat in Friday's 126-121 win over Indiana. The Pacers shot 51.6 percent in the game and scored 40 in the fourth quarter en route to the most points allowed by the Spurs in a non-overtime game this season.
Although it wasn't pretty, San Antonio was able to get back in the win column after losing its previous two.

"We're trying to get some momentum going," said center Tim Duncan, who had 22 points and 11 rebounds. "We haven't played well for the last 20 games. We're in a heck of a race in the West. We're just trying to hold onto our position and gain some confidence going into the playoffs."

The Southwest Division-leading Spurs have seven games remaining and Tony Parker said the team isn't quite where it needs to be.
"I still think we can be better, and I think (coach Gregg Popovich) is still choosing his rotation and who he's going to play for the playoffs," said Parker, who had 31 points and 10 assists Friday.

San Antonio lost to the Cavs at home 97-86 on Feb. 27, but the Spurs were without Manu Ginobili and Duncan due to injuries. James led Cleveland with 30 points and 14 rebounds, while Parker finished with 11 points on 3-of-16 shooting.

Keys for the Cavs

1. Get up for a big game.

This has been a problem too many times this year.
​

2. Take advantage of the Spurs' defense and their up-and-down play.

Spurs just gave up 121 points to Indiana. Drew Gooden wears a Spurs uniform. Do the math and get good shots.​

3. Get back to basics.

Stay in front of your man, rebound the ball, don't cheat, and get back in transition.
​

4. Have a short memory.

What happened the past two games doesn't matter today.
​

5. Bottom Line​

Will the team be flat or will they be ready to go? Will the afternoon tip affect either team's performance? Will the Cavs stop their pregame "photo" ritual?

Often these early games start off and continue slow and ugly. It should be a very interesting and competitive game with both teams having something to play for.​

 

[Mr. Glass]

:thumbdown

 

[Trill Cosby]

Thanks for filling in wuck, in case anyone didn't know RonG has a sick family member and has been at the hospital these past few days.

 

[Typhoon]

dang, RonG my prayers go out to your fam

 

[breanna]

The Spurs mascot is doing the hand gesture with his hands. We all know what that means. LOL!

 

[Da_James_Gang]

:thumbdown

Lol i saw that, you and wuck basically said you would do it at the same time. Your post was right before his but both at 10:33 i think.....

 

[Gordon Bombay]

i definitely like the new design of the court better than the one in the picture

as for today, do we continue the suckfest from two and three nights ago or do we actually come out and play like a 61 win team...i vote a little bit of both

just please dont wear the gold jerseys - bad karma associated with them things

 

[Trill Cosby]

The Spurs mascot is doing the hand gesture with his hands. We all know what that means. LOL!

LMAO who of course stands in stark contrast to our very own Moondog who's pimp hand is strong indeed.

 

[wuck]

:thumbdown

Sorry, Mr. Glass. I didn't see your post. I just replied to Ron G. and got over to get to work. Sorry about that.

Thanks, DJG, for the explanation. I had no idea.

Will rep ya both for that.

 

[Powerslave]

Finals preview? Perhaps. Just don't think the Spurs or Cavaliers, the two franchises that played for the 2007 NBA championship, are satisfied with their play of late going into Sunday's clash (1 p.m. ET, ABC) in Cleveland.

Despite continuing to lead the Southwest Division, San Antonio isn't hitting on all cylinders with the playoffs two weeks away. The Spurs (49-26) have a 5-5 record in their last 10 games, and needed a fourth-quarter rally to win Friday at lowly Indiana.

LeBron James and the Eastern Conference pacesetters are coming off a 29-point beating Friday at Orlando, their second consecutive loss. Cleveland (61-15) did have a 13-game winning streak before the recent skid, but the Cavs have struggled against some of the league's better teams.

Consider the following when the LeBrons welcome Timmy and Co. to town:

A Look at the Numbers

Cleveland Cavaliers: 61-15 (36-1 at home), First in East
Pace: 88.9 possessions/game (25th)
Offense: 111.9 points scored per 100 possessions (4th)
Defense: 102.3 points allowed per 100 possessions (3rd)

San Antonio Spurs: 49-26 (23-14 on the road), Third in West
Pace: 88.5 possessions/game (26th)
Offense: 108.6 points scored per 100 possessions (13th)
Defense: 104.3 points allowed per 100 possessions (5th)
Previous Meetings

Feb. 27 -- AT&T Center -- Cleveland 97, San Antonio 86
Five Questions

1. Are the Cavaliers coasting or slumping?

The blowout in Orlando -- Cleveland trailed by 41 at one point -- was easily the worst of the season, and two-game losing streak is only the second of the year. The Cavs have yet to lose three straight and are 12-2 coming off a loss.

"We've only been in this situation one time this year where we've lost two straight and we were able to bounce back," LeBron James said. "It's not about the games you lose; it's about how you lose. And the last two games weren't how we play the game of basketball."

Still safely in control of the East's top seed, the Cavs don't want to go into the tailspin with the postseason right around the corner. Sweeping one of the West's best should provide a nice boost going into their final five games.

2. Is this is time to defrost Bruce Bowen?

The Spurs lockdown specialist has been in deep freeze most of this season, as his playing time and effectiveness has waned. But Bowen's annoying ways could come in handy against James, who lit up the Spurs five weeks ago with 30 points and 14 rebounds in three quarters of work.

Other than Bowen, the Spurs other wings are at a physical disadvantage against LeBron. Manu Ginobili, Michael Finley and George Mason, Jr. just don't match up. Spurs reserve and former James teammate Drew Gooden may be an defensive option for Gregg Popovich.

3. Why is Manu Ginobili back in the starting lineup?

The reigning Sixth Man of the year is supposed to the catalyst off the bench, but the Spurs weren't getting much offensive punch lately from three-fifths of the starting lineup. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker needed some help, so here comes Ginobili to the rescue.

"Manu coming off the bench has run its course," Popovich told the San Antonio Express-News. "It's time for the three of them to play together. They're our best three players. They're going to make each other better on the court."

The Argentine has started the last two games, and played at least 28 minutes in the last three. The team's recent struggles can't be placed at Ginobili's feet ... or his bum ankle. Despite working his way back into basketball shape, he's averaging 16.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists in those three games.

4. Has Mo Williams hit a dry patch?

LeBron's main offensive complement is averaging only 13.3 points over the past three games, 4.5 points less than his season average. Over that stretch, he's only 6 of 18 (33.3 percent) from beyond the 3-point line.

Williams is a 43-percent 3-point shooter this season, with his accuracy increasing each month. In fact, the All-Star is up 4.5 percent from last season, marking one of the biggest improvements in the league.

The Cavs need Williams' scoring, energy and overall peskiness against Parker in a matchup of two of the league's best point guards.

5. Why can't the Spurs buy a 3?

San Antonio is one the league's better 3-point shooting teams with four players -- Matt Bonner, Mason, Finley and Bowen -- connecting on better than 40 percent. Lately, though, those open looks haven't been going down quite as easily. In the two most recent losses, the Spurs were just 15 of 54 (27.7 percent) from distance.

Maybe it's a product of heavy legs this deep into the season or opposing defenses closing just a bit faster. But if the Spurs aren't hitting from downtown, life in the lane is just a little rougher on those who make their living down there, namely Duncan, Parker and Ginobili.

"It makes it tough if we're not hitting those shots and a couple of people aren't playing well," Popovich said. "Knocking down shots is really important in the NBA and we're not doing it."

http://www.nba.com/2009/news/features/art_garcia/04/04/spurs.cavs/index.html

 

[maj]

Why are they wearing those jersey's so much? It's like everytime we lose we are wair those or the navy.

 

[Mr. Glass]

Sorry, Mr. Glass. I didn't see your post. I just replied to Ron G. and got over to get to work.

Thanks, DJG, for the explanation. I had no idea.

Will rep ya both for that.

Alright, we're even.

 

[MoFo]

Not going to be a easy W thats for sure.

 

[King J]

Thank god we're wearing our home whites Today.

 

[-KingofKings23-]

:runs: