Game #80
Cleveland Cavaliers [47-32] VS. Atlanta Hawks [29-50]
Saturday April 14th, 2007
7:30 PM ET
Radio = WTAM 1100
Television =
The “Q”; Quicken Loans Arena [Cleveland, Ohio]
Cavs Uniforms
Hawks Uniforms
Head Coaches
Mike Brown | Mike Woodson
Starting Backcourt
Point Guards
ESPN's Larry Hughes Scouting Report
Hughes has tremendous quickness for his size and is always a threat to score off the dribble or in transition. He's a strong finisher with a knack for drawing fouls, with the free-throw line often being his primary scoring vehicle. Hughes is a weak outside shooter who shoots 28.1 percent for his career on 3-pointers, and has a big problem with shot selection. When he's going badly he'll tend to force mid-range jumpers off the dribble, a shot he doesn't shoot particularly well. He's a good dribbler who can play point guard in a pinch, but all his drives tend to produce a high turnover rate.
Hughes' high steals total from two years ago looks like a massive fluke -- it's nearly twice what he's done in any other recent season -- but he's quick in the passing lanes and has good anticipation. He likes to gamble though, and his lack of strength makes him vulnerable to bigger shooting guards who can take him in the blocks. Hughes' focus tends to be on steals rather than stops, so his help defense isn't always up to snuff either. However, his quickness makes him a hardy defender against dribble penetration.
Hughes' injuries have become an increasing worry. He's missed 88 games in the past three seasons and hasn't played a full schedule since 1999-2000. At this point, it seems prudent to assume he'll only be around for 60 games or so.
Last 5 Games = 14.2 PTS
| 5.4 AST
| 4 REB
| 0.2 BLK
| 1.8 STL
| 41.8 FG%
| 22.2 3PT%
| 69.6 FT%
ESPN's Tyronn Lue Scouting Report
Lue's 2005-06 performance continued a trend that's been consistent throughout his career -- he plays much better as a reserve than a starter. Most players tend to be better as starters, but Lue last year averaged nearly twice as many points when he came off the bench (12.1 to 6.5) in similar minutes, and his other numbers were all better as well.
The two major drawbacks to his season were defense and injuries.
Lue was reasonably adept at keeping his man in front of him, but his lack of size was problematic against bigger guards and he doesn't have the jet-like quickness of some other players his size that would allow him to pressure the ball upcourt.
He also missed 31 games with a variety of ailments, the most serious being a sprained knee that kept him out for all of March.
Last 5 Games = 17.6 PTS
| 7.4 AST
| 4.2 REB
| 0.6 STL
| 47.8 FG%
| 40 3PT%
| 87.5 FT%
Advantage =
Shooting Guards
ESPN's Sasha Pavlovic Scouting Report
Pavlovic has decent quickness and good size for a wing at 6-7, but has never been able to harness that ability into an effective package. He's a lousy finisher and has no in-between game, plus he's a poor ballhandler and doesn't see the floor. His jump shot is reasonably effective but he's not a pure shooter and has a slow release, and he's so weak in the other areas that it's tough to keep him on the court. His defense isn't as substandard as his offense, because he has good size and moves fairly well, but it's not like he's a stopper either.
Last 5 Games = 12 PPG
| 1 APG
| 3 RPG
| 1.4 SPG
| 0.4 BPG
| 50 FG%
| 40 3PT%
| 85.7 FT%
ESPN's Josh Smith Scouting Report
An awesome leaper who is a great finisher on the break, Smith also has a passable outside jumper that improved sharply last season, and his strength is becoming less of a liability as he hits the weights. To go with his leaping ability, Smith also has great timing on shot blocks and could lead the league in that category if he moves back to power forward. Even as a small forward last year he averaged 2.6 blocks per game, good for fourth in the league.
However, his mental lapses at the defensive end tend to offset the value his shot-blocking provides. He also relies way too much on his leaping to rebound, rarely blocking out or getting to a spot to make his job easier.
Offensively, Smith relies almost completely on others to create his shots, which may be one reason he's so prone to disappearing. He has no post game whatsoever and limited ability to create his own shot off the dribble. Fast-break dunks and an improving jumper are his main sources of his points, although he does draw a lot of fouls for a player with limited dribbling skills.
Last 5 Games = 20.8 PTS
| 3.3 AST
| 10.5 REB
| 1.3 STL
| 2.8 BPG
| 43.8 FG%
| 14.2 3PT%
| 75 FT%
Advantage =
Starting Frontcourt
Small Forwards
ESPN's LeBron James Scouting Report
James is a breathtaking talent who has as much straight-line speed as any player in the game despite being built like a power forward. He understands the game phenomenally well for a player his age and can be a spectacular passer, which combined with his ballhandling skill makes him capable of playing point guard -- where he creates monstrous match-up problems because of the size differential.
The scary thing is that he's about the best player in the league, and yet you get the sense he could be a lot better. For instance, James is still developing as a jump shooter. He has a nice stroke with a high arc and can comfortably fire away even with a hand in his face, but his accuracy remains middling. He started developing more of a post game last season and he should continue working on it to take better advantage of his size.
Another quibble with his offensive game is how he runs the pick-and-roll, because he tends to bring the offense grinding to a halt. Detroit exploited this beautifully in the playoffs -- when a big man shows hard on the screen, LeBron's instinct is to retreat almost to half court and then just go one-on-one with whomever is left guarding him. That breaks down any other movement going on with the play and makes the Cavs easy to defend. James is good enough that he still can score occasionally when he does this, but he needs to either split the trap on this play or get rid of the ball sooner.
James also needs more work on the defensive end. He's a decent on-ball defender, though a bit overaggressive, and nobody even bothers trying to post him up because of his size. But he has to get better from the weak side. James will play passing lanes and go for steals, but the basic help-and-recover moves are still developing.
Last 5 Games = 29.2 PPG
| 5.2 APG
| 8 RPG
| 1.6 SPG
| 0.6 BPG
| 45.9 FG%
| 20 3PT%
| 78.8 FT%
ESPN's Marvin Williams Scouting Report
What the numbers don't show about Williams is how many of his shots came from a foot or two inside the 3-point line. He has a gorgeous shooting stroke, and once he starts getting three points on those shots instead of two his numbers will look a whole lot better.
The next step is to develop an off-the-dribble game that complements his jumper. Williams has no post game at this point, but at 6-9 he'll need to develop one or teams will just guard him with smaller players to take away his jumper.
Defensively, Williams is quick enough to competently defend smaller players in switches and could eventually be fantastic in that capacity. However, he doesn't yet have the strength to battle big guys in the paint. He's a good leaper and pretty light on his feet for his size, so for the moment he's better suited to guarding small forwards than power players.
Last 5 Games = 15 PTS
| 2.4 AST
| 6.2 REB
| 0.6 BLK
| 0.4 STL
| 40.9 FG%
| 00.0 3PT%
| 75 FT%
Advantage =
Power Forwards
ESPN's Drew Gooden Scouting Report
Gooden makes for a good role player because he can score without having plays run for him. He's a quick leaper who can finish around the basket, and he has a decent mid-range jump shot despite his somewhat awkward form. He's not as adept in the post because he lacks strength and can get bodied out of the lane, but he does have a nice jump-hook move.
Defensively, Gooden's quickness makes him very good at picking up guards on switches, and he has long arms that earn him lots of deflections. He doesn't have the power to deal with some of the league's bigger power forwards, but he partly makes up for it by helping on the defensive glass. Despite his leaping ability and quickness, he's not a shot-blocker.
The biggest criticism of Gooden has been his lack of focus. Whether it's losing track of his man at the defensive end or not knowing a play on offense, Gooden has baffled coaches with his mental miscues, and that's one reason he hasn't played as many minutes as you might expect for a player with such a high PER.
Last 5 Games = 12.8 PPG
| 2.6 APG
| 10.2 RPG
| 1.2 SPG
| 0.2 BPG
| 55.5 FG%
| 80 FT%
ESPN's Solomon Jones Scouting Report
A shot-blocking specialist whose other skills could charitably be described as "developing," Jones did show some major improvement during this senior year at South Florida and got scouts' attention by winning MVP honors at the Portsmouth Invitational.
However, he still has a long way to go -- explaining why he lasted until the second round. At just 224 pounds, he badly needs to add muscle, and his offensive game basically consists of running the floor and hoping somebody sets him up for a dunk. At least he'll fit in, as Atlanta should play mostly up-tempo.
Normally, a player like this would see plenty of D-League action, but with big men being scarce on Atlanta's roster, Jones could be a fringe rotation player.
Last 5 Games = 6.6 PTS
| 0.4 AST
| 3.4 REB
| 1.2 BLK
| 70.5 FG%
| 81.8 FT%
|
Advantage =
Centers
ESPN's Zydrunas Ilgauskas Scouting Report
Ilgauskas is one of the best post players in basketball. Though 7-3, he's fairly mobile and has range out to 17 feet. He likes to set up camp on the left block and shoot a turnaround going to either side, although of late he's added a sweeping hook shot where he dribbles right and never puts his left hand back on the ball as he goes up.
Ilgauskas is a good shot-blocker and his size makes him difficult to score against in the blocks, but he has trouble farther away from the basket. Teams try to involve him in screen-and-roll plays and take advantage of his poor lateral movement. He gives a good effort, though, and overall the Cavs defended better with him on the court last season. He's also not a good defensive rebounder -- an unusually big chunk of his boards come at the offensive end.
If I could choose one player to be on my team for a five-minute overtime, Ilgauskas might be the guy. Not because he's a great clutch player, but because he's perhaps the best jump-ball taker in the game. His height helps, but his real genius is in the art of stealing the tap without being so blatant about it that the ref calls a violation. They must teach this in Lithuania or something -- Arvydas Sabonis was great at it too.
Last 5 Games = 11 PPG
| 1.6 APG
| 7.6 RPG
| 0.8 BPG
| 0.6 SPG
| 50 FG%
| 83.3 FT%
ESPN's Zaza Pachulia Scouting Report
Although he plays below the rim, Pachulia is one of the best offensive rebounders in basketball. He has a knack for knowing where the carom will come and works hard at positioning, and as a result his Offensive Rebound Rate was tied for eighth in the NBA.
Unusual for a great offensive rebounder, he also has a fairly high skill level. Pachulia is a passable midrange shooter who also will shot-fake and put the ball on the floor going to his right. He lacks elevation around the basket and that often gets him into trouble, but he has enough guile to draw fouls by creating contact and, if need be, by out-and-out acting.
There's a temptation to add "and he's only 22!" to the above praise, but I have never talked to anybody associated with the NBA -- scouts, coaches, executives, janitors, whoever -- who thinks that's Pachulia's real age. The general consensus is that he's two to four years older than what's reported on the roster sheet. That difference is critically important in assessing his future, because, if true, it means he's already at or near his prime and probably won't improve much from here forward.
The other big minus is his lack of athleticism. Pachulia doesn't have great balance and falls down during games as much as any player this side of Dwyane Wade, and his lack of quickness and leaping ability is a major impediment at the defensive end.
While he's willing to be physical, Pachulia's inability to defend the basket against drivers was one reason Atlanta's defense was so poor. Only four centers blocked fewer shots per minute than Pachulia. Also, as good as he is on the offensive glass, he's a below average defensive rebounder.
Last 5 Games = 16.3 PPG
| 2.7 APG
| 7.7 RPG
| 1 BPG
| 2 SPG
| 57.1 FG%
| 81.8 FT%
Advantage =
========> Key Matchup <========
G/F | Josh Smith
AGAISNT
SF | LeBron James
~ Whenever the Atlanta Hawks and Cleveland Cavaliers matchup, Josh Smith versus LeBron James is always the matchup to watch. Both are high-flying, crowd favorite forwards he can score point in a hurry or lock you down on defense (when LeBron feels like it atleast). This will be the key matchup in the game because if Smith can stop LeBron, the Hawks have a chance if not, they have a slim-none chance.
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Key Cavalier Injuries
Advantage =
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Smooth32's 3 Keys To Get The "V"
1). Effort. Just like it has been all season, the key to the game is how much effort we put forth in this game. This team has lost the the “bottom-feeders” before so it’s not unlikely they would lose this game, but if they come out focused and on a mission to win the game and bury their opponent, not many people can beat them. But then again, they’ll play like shit in the first half and all-stars in the second. So maybe I should rephrase it as “consistent effort” or “sustained effort”.
2). Rest. – If this game does turn out like I think it will, or at least I hope so, some of the starters need to get some rest if they want to have a good shot in the playoffs. Don’t play LeBron 40+ minutes and until the 3:00 minute mark in the 4th quarter. Give key players like him, Larry and Z some rest and let the young players get some playing time and see if you can get anybody hot before playoff time.
3). Bench play. – The past two games we’ve only gotten 11 points off the bench in each of those games, that can’t keep up if they want to go deep in the playoffs. The entire scoring load can’t depend on guys like LeBron, Larry and Z. We need some production off the bench, period.
Prediction
Cavs – 94
Hawks – 73
GOCAVS !!
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Note - The scouting reports are from ESPN. So credit should be given there.
A little side note...
--- Jimmy Kimmel is supposed to be at "The Q" Saturday, according to the Plain Dealer...
