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Sunday April 12th, 2009
3:30 pm ET, Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH
Available tickets here, courtesy of TicketCity
TV: ABC
Radio: WTAM 1100
HEAD COACHES
Mike Brown
REGULAR SEASON
W 209 L 116
POST SEASON
W 26 L 20
Glen "Doc" Rivers
REGULAR SEASON
W 398 L 347
POST SEASON
W 24 L 24 (.500)
Probable Cavs Starters
PG: Mo Williams | PPG 17.9 RPG 3.40 APG 4.0 EFF + 16.37
SG: Delonte West | PPG 11.7 RPG 3.20 APG 3.5 EFF + 13.00
SF: LeBron James | PPG 28.3 RPG 7.60 APG 7.3 EFF + 30.89
PF: Anderson Varejao | PPG 8.7 RPG 7.10 APG 1.0 EFF + 13.40
C: Zydrunas Ilgauskas | PPG 12.9 RPG 7.50 APG 1.0 EFF + 15.22
Bench Bunch
Joe Smith | Daniel Gibson | Jawad Williams | Wally World | Cold Blooded | Tarence Kinsey | Darnell Jackson| Ben Wallace
Probable Celtics Starters
PG: Rajon Rondo | PPG 12.2 RPG 5.30 APG 8.4 EFF + 19.39
SG: Ray Allen | PPG 18.3 RPG 3.50 APG 2.8 EFF + 16.95
SF: Paul Pierce | PPG 20.4 RPG 5.80 APG 3.6 EFF + 19.22
PF: Glen "Big Baby" Davis | PPG 6.6 RPG 3.90 APG 0.9 EFF + 7.68
C: Kendrick Perkins | PPG 8.5 RPG 8.20 APG 1.2 EFF + 14.45
Bench Bunch
Stephon Marbury | Mikki Moore | Eddie House | Bill Walker | Brian Scalabrine | Gabe Pruitt| Tony Allen | Leon Powe
Injury Report
Cavs
JJ Hickson - Back
Cetics
Kevin Garnett - PF, Knee, Is he available?
CAVALIER GIRLS!!!!!
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Some love for MOONDOG
GAME NOTES - Lots of good nuggets
- At 64-15 (.810), Cleveland possesses the NBA’s best record and are winners of 25 of their last 29 games (.857) since the All-Star break, including 10-4 (.714) on the road. The Cavaliers’ 64 wins are the most wins in franchise history for a season and made them the 17th team in NBA history to win at least 64 wins in a season. With a win today against Boston, the Cavs would become only the 14th team in NBA history to win at least 65 wins in a season.
- With Friday’s 102-92 road victory over Philadelphia, the Cavaliers clinched home court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference Playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
- Cleveland holds the best home record in the NBA at 38-1 (.974). With a win today against the Celtics, the Cavaliers would join five other teams in NBA history to have won 39 or more games at home in a season and the Cavs are approaching the NBA’s all-time best home record of 40-1 set by the Boston Celtics in 1985-86. The Cavaliers would also win their 16th consecutive game at home after winning 23 straight at home and become the first team in NBA history to have two separate winning streaks of at least 16 games at home in one season. The Cavs have now won 30 games at home in three of the last four seasons and their 38 home wins are the most in a season in franchise history, surpassing the 1988-89 Cavaliers’ 37 home wins. The team is also the first to win 38 of 39 at home in one season since the Chicago Bulls in the 1996-97 season. (STATS, Inc. / Elias).
- At home, Cleveland holds opponents to NBA-lows 87.7 points (next best is Charlotte at 91.6) on .414 shooting (next best is Orlando at .424) while averaging 102.0 points and shooting .475 (7th best). Cleveland has not allowed an opponent to shoot over 50 percent in 41 straight home contests. The last such opponent was Chicago, which shot 53.5 percent in a 101-98 victory over the Cavs on April 3, 2008. Cleveland is the only team undefeated at home against teams from its own conference this season (24-0). The last team to accomplish this feat in a season was the 1994-95 Orlando Magic. (STATS, Inc. / Elias)
- At 64-15, the Cavaliers currently rank 3rd in NBA history for the largest improvement in wins of all teams that won at least 45 games in the previous season. The team was 45-37 last season and with two wins in their last three games, the Cavs would post 66 wins and tie the 1970-71 Los Angeles Lakers for 2nd with a 21-game improvement. (Elias)
- At 26-14 (.650), Cleveland possesses the 4th best road record in the NBA (L.A. Lakers, Orlando, Boston). The 26 wins is a franchise record, surpassing the 1991-92 Cavaliers’ 22 road wins. On the road, the team is averaging 97.8 points on .459 shooting compared to their opponents only averaging 94.4 points (3rd best – BOS, SAN) on .446 shooting (4th best – BOS, ORL, DEN).
- This season the Cavaliers rank 1st in overall opponent points allowed per game, the only NBA team to allow less than 92.0 points, at 91.1 (next best is Boston at 93.0), rank 2nd in allowing opponents to only shoot .430 in defensive field goal percentage (Boston - .428) and ranks 1st in defensive three-point field goal percentage at .333 for the season (next best is Orlando at .340). The last team to lead the NBA in all three defensive categories was the 1992-93 Knicks, 16 years ago, (defensive field goal percentage - 42.6%, defensive three-point field goal percentage - 30.5% and opponent points per game allowed - 95.4).
- The Cavs are winning games by an 8.8 point differential, which ranks 1st, and have won an NBA-best 40 games by 10+ points.
- On Friday, LeBron James had 27 points and 10 assists in Cleveland's win over Philadelphia. It was the 45th 25 point-10 assist game of James' career and only two players have more such games since James’ first season in the NBA in 2003-04: Allen Iverson (58 games) and Dwyane Wade (46 games). James (64 wins) is on pace to become the fourth player to lead his team in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals per game, while also leading his team to 50+ wins (L. Bird, G. Hill, K. Garnett). (STATS Inc.)
- Against the 76ers, Mo Williams scored 18 points and made 3-8 (.375) from three-point range. In addition to increasing his three-point percentage each month this season, Williams has increased his overall percentage 4.8 percent from last season (.385 to .433), which represents the 4th highest increase in the NBA (K. Durant, A. Bargnani, D. Cook). (min. 200 att. in both seasons).
10 thought from Pluto on the homecourt success:
About the Cavaliers' home winning streak ...
1. The Cavs enter Sunday's game with Boston with 38 home victories. Every team that has won at least 38 home games eventually reached the NBA Finals. Five of the nine won NBA titles
2. It's no surprise the Cavs' 38-1 home record is the best in team history. But it is a bit of shock that the next five best records belong to former coaches Lenny Wilkens and Mike Fratello in the pre-LeBron James Era. The previous best was 37-4 in 1988-89, the dreaded "shot" season when Chicago's Michael Jordan eliminated the Cavs at the Richfield Coliseum in Game 5 of the first round of the playoffs.
3. In two other 35-6 home seasons, Wilkens led the Cavs to the 1992 Eastern Conference Finals (losing to Jordan) and the 1993 second round (losing to Jordan).
4. The two previous best records with James were 31-10 in 2005-06 (lost in second round) and 2006-07, when they were swept by San Antonio in the NBA Finals.
5. As for home court in the playoffs, heading into this season the home team has won 81 percent of the Game 7s. The Cavs have been in four Game 7s. The first was in 1976, the victory over Washington at Richfield in the Miracle Year. Next was 1992, when they beat Boston in Richfield in Larry Bird's final game. The others were in 2006, when they lost in Detroit, and the 2008 loss in Boston.
6. The Cavs have been winning home games by an average of 14.3 points, which is huge because it means they can rest James and other starters. James averages 36.3 minutes at home, 39.3 on the road. Overall, his 37.8 average is the lowest of his six-year career. It ranks 16th in the NBA. In the previous three seasons, James was third, third and second in minutes played, always over 40 per game.
7. Fewer minutes and bigger wins at home should mean the Cavs veterans will be more rested for the playoffs. Yes, there is the danger of overconfidence. This team has won 39 games by at least 10 points -- compared to only 10 last season. It's 34-0 when leading after three quarters at home, 52-2 overall. That means the Cavs finish off opponents quickly, the sign of a mature, focused team.
8. The Q is an intimidating arena for most visiting teams. The fans seem ready to blow off the roof, the Cavs having sold out 36 of 39 games. Sunday will make it 37 sellouts -- 29 in a row.
9. The home court in the playoffs may not mean everything, but it's close. Consider that Boston won the title despite being 3-9 on the road. That's what 13-1 at home will do. Or that the Cavs were 6-1 at home, but only 1-5 away and knocked out in Game 7 at Boston.
10. Bottom line: In the Eastern Conference last season, playoff teams were 29-6 at home, 9-22 on the road. The Cavs have home court in the East, and are two wins away from beating out the Lakers for the entire playoffs. It's indeed an advantage, a tremendous one.
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CCF'S PREDICTION
Cavaliers - 21
Celtics - 14
Football Score baby!
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