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The Cavs return home for the second night of a back-to-back against the Golden State Warriors, who have the best record in the NBA at 12-2. Two nights ago the W’s cruised past the Nets in Brooklyn by 18 points. That game was over by the end of the third quarter. Last week they beat the 10-5 Bulls by 26.
The Warriors average 115 points per game, best in the league, and allow 102. Their differential of +13.6 ranks first; the second best is +8.7. The Warriors are clearly the best team in the NBA at this point, although they've only played 5 of their 14 games against teams with winning records.
The Cavs, of course, are missing four starters and playing the second night of a back-to-back after having to fly in from NYC last night.
For the W’s, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, and James Wiseman are out. That means nothing because Thompson and Wiseman have yet to play this year and Iggy is averaging under 4 ppg.
Stephan Curry is listed as questionable with a hip contusion. If he doesn’t play they’ll need to find 28.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 6.6 assists somewhere else. His PER is 28.6; the next highest is Gary Payton II at 22.5. Payton averages 13 minutes per game. I’m assuming Payton will take Curry’s spot if he sits this one out.
Andrew Wiggins, who the Cavs traded for Kevin Love, seems to have found a home. He’s averaging 18.1 ppg on 48.7% from the field and 35.2% on 3’s. He’s still not exactly a force on the glass with 4.4 rebounds in 29 minutes a game, but he's having a nice season.
I’m not going to get into a detailed analysis of the Warriors. They’re the best team in the Association and the Cavs are severely depleted and on the back end of a back-to-back. On paper this should be a blowout if Curry plays and maybe even if he doesn't.
I don’t know what to expect if he doesn’t play because he’s started every game so far. He makes his teammates better by breaking down the defense and creating easy shots. Take him out of the equation and I don’t think the W’s are the best team in the NBA, but I’m sure they’re still more than talented enough to beat what’s left of the Cavaliers, who are playing their third game in four nights.
It turns out Kevin Love was very sick for several days. He played 20 minutes in his first game back last night. I don’t know if they want him to play on consecutive days at this point (or ever). He’s not on the injury report, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s down.
The Warriors might be the shortest team in the league, especially with Wiseman out. Their starters are 6’2”, 6’4”, 6’6”, 6’7”, and 6’9”. The 6’9” guy is Kevon Looney, who starts at center but only averages 17 minutes. Their main guys off the bench are Damion Lee, 6’5”, Otto Porter, 6’8”, and Iggy, who is out. I expect to see more of Nemanja Bjelica, a 6’9” power forward, who is hitting 44% of his 3’s this year. Bjelica is 33 and averages 15 minutes.
First round pick Jonathan Kuminga, the 7th overall pick this year, has only seen action in 8 games at 8.5 minutes per game. It's scary to think the Warriors had the #2 and #7 picks in the last two drafts and neither have seen any meaningful minutes this season, but they're still 12-2. That's without Klay Thompson as well.
The Warriors window may be slowly closing. Curry is 33, Green 31, Thompson 31, and Iguodala 37. They don't have any up-and-coming stars unless Wiseman and Kuminga pan out. Otto Porter is 28 and has started 30 games in the last three years going into this season. His star has faded. Wiggins is a decent scorer but that's all he does. He gets 4.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 0.4 blocks in 29 minutes. He makes $31 million.
It will be interesting to see the Cavs play the Warriors when the Cavs have their jumbo lineup in place to see if Allen, Mobley, and Mark can take advantage of their height. The other game this year is Jan. 9, so Mobley should be back.
The Warriors average 115 points per game, best in the league, and allow 102. Their differential of +13.6 ranks first; the second best is +8.7. The Warriors are clearly the best team in the NBA at this point, although they've only played 5 of their 14 games against teams with winning records.
The Cavs, of course, are missing four starters and playing the second night of a back-to-back after having to fly in from NYC last night.
For the W’s, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, and James Wiseman are out. That means nothing because Thompson and Wiseman have yet to play this year and Iggy is averaging under 4 ppg.
Stephan Curry is listed as questionable with a hip contusion. If he doesn’t play they’ll need to find 28.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 6.6 assists somewhere else. His PER is 28.6; the next highest is Gary Payton II at 22.5. Payton averages 13 minutes per game. I’m assuming Payton will take Curry’s spot if he sits this one out.
Andrew Wiggins, who the Cavs traded for Kevin Love, seems to have found a home. He’s averaging 18.1 ppg on 48.7% from the field and 35.2% on 3’s. He’s still not exactly a force on the glass with 4.4 rebounds in 29 minutes a game, but he's having a nice season.
I’m not going to get into a detailed analysis of the Warriors. They’re the best team in the Association and the Cavs are severely depleted and on the back end of a back-to-back. On paper this should be a blowout if Curry plays and maybe even if he doesn't.
I don’t know what to expect if he doesn’t play because he’s started every game so far. He makes his teammates better by breaking down the defense and creating easy shots. Take him out of the equation and I don’t think the W’s are the best team in the NBA, but I’m sure they’re still more than talented enough to beat what’s left of the Cavaliers, who are playing their third game in four nights.
It turns out Kevin Love was very sick for several days. He played 20 minutes in his first game back last night. I don’t know if they want him to play on consecutive days at this point (or ever). He’s not on the injury report, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s down.
The Warriors might be the shortest team in the league, especially with Wiseman out. Their starters are 6’2”, 6’4”, 6’6”, 6’7”, and 6’9”. The 6’9” guy is Kevon Looney, who starts at center but only averages 17 minutes. Their main guys off the bench are Damion Lee, 6’5”, Otto Porter, 6’8”, and Iggy, who is out. I expect to see more of Nemanja Bjelica, a 6’9” power forward, who is hitting 44% of his 3’s this year. Bjelica is 33 and averages 15 minutes.
First round pick Jonathan Kuminga, the 7th overall pick this year, has only seen action in 8 games at 8.5 minutes per game. It's scary to think the Warriors had the #2 and #7 picks in the last two drafts and neither have seen any meaningful minutes this season, but they're still 12-2. That's without Klay Thompson as well.
The Warriors window may be slowly closing. Curry is 33, Green 31, Thompson 31, and Iguodala 37. They don't have any up-and-coming stars unless Wiseman and Kuminga pan out. Otto Porter is 28 and has started 30 games in the last three years going into this season. His star has faded. Wiggins is a decent scorer but that's all he does. He gets 4.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 0.4 blocks in 29 minutes. He makes $31 million.
It will be interesting to see the Cavs play the Warriors when the Cavs have their jumbo lineup in place to see if Allen, Mobley, and Mark can take advantage of their height. The other game this year is Jan. 9, so Mobley should be back.
