| 13 January 2012
For 5 seasons, Mike Brown guided the Cleveland Cavaliers (5-5) to a winning season year after year that included a trip to the NBA Finals in his second year in 2007 and capturing the best regular season record for 2 years straight in 2009 and 2010. But owner Dan Gilbert's impatience and inability to provide a proper star to help Lebron James win a title eventually led to Brown's firing and, eventually, "The Decision".
Two short years later, Brown is coaching against his former team for the first time. The reunion will be emotional for Mike, but don't expect him to turn the notch down when it comes to trying to find ways to beat them.
For one thing, the Cavs are no longer the team that lost its first 26 games of the season last year. They're currently at 5-5 thanks in large to this season's Rookie of the Year candidate, Kyrie Irving. This kid poses a lot of problems for any team. He's quick, can pass, shoot, and carry a team to victory. With Steve Blake likely going to be out, Brown has his work cut out for him tonight. Irving is averaging 16.6 points and 5.3 assists this season.
Meanwhile, the Lakers (8-4) have the 2nd longest winning streak in the league and have won 7 straight games at Staples Center. Kobe Bryant has taken over the scoring apex in the NBA averaging 30.3 points per game propelled by his back-to-back 40+ point performance the last 2 games.
Kobe is in a groove right now and will probably continue his scoring barrage unless Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum demand to share some of the feast. Some members of the media is accusing Bryant for taking too many shots, but what they fail to see is where and how Kobe is taking those shots. There's a difference between jacking shots and taking good shots. For the most part, Bryant has been operating within the flow of the offense and taking what the defense is giving him.
The Lakers' modus operandi tonight is to keep improving in all facets of the game. Their defense is tightening but turnovers are still a sore issue with Brown. Having no backup for Derek Fisher means Kobe will be handling the ball more. Bryant leads the team with 3.8 turnovers per game due in large to his injured wrist and index finger. He will have to be extra careful with his passing and dribbling tonight to keep the extra possessions for Cleveland as low as possible.
The last time the Cavaliers saw the Lakers at Staples Center, they were on the receiving end of a 55-point shellacking. That's because the Laker defense held them to just 23.9% shooting and forced them into 19 turnovers. It's a forgettable night for the Cavs, to say the least, but I'm pretty sure they'll do whatever it takes in order to prevent an encore performance.
Cleveland have the 10th best offense in the league averaging 96.4 points per game and 19th best defense giving up 95.4 points per. With their win against Phoenix on Thursday, they're now 3-4 on the road.
The Lakers are steadily climbing the league stats now claiming the 13th best offense putting up 94.6 points and still have one of the most stifling defense at #4 allowing 89.8 points from their opponents. They're 7-1 at home and have won 4 of their last 5 games.
These 2 teams split last season's series with each winning at their own building. The Lakers are 8-2 overall at home against the Cavaliers at Staples Center.
Matchup of the Game
Antawn Jamison vs. Pau Gasol: Jamison is still the go-to guy for Cleveland on offense even with Irving at the point. He's got quickness and better range on his side, so Pau better challenge his shots and try to make him a playmaker as much as possible. On the other hand, Gasol should attract plenty of double-teams having such a size and length edge over Jamison on the post. If the Lakers take advantage of having a wide open man often, they should be in good shape.
Keys for the Game
1. Irving: Jamison may be the man on offense, but Irving is the driving force behind this team. Control him and the Cavaliers are much easier to deal with. Allow him to do whatever he wants, well...
2. Post: Gasol and Bynum have to really buckle down on both ends of the floor in this game since there's a good chance Cleveland will involve them in pick-and-rolls each time down and install a zone defense from time to time. They have to be aggressive once they catch the ball inside and not let the defense dictate what they do on offense.
3. Turnovers: Without Blake, the chances of a turnover goes up. Expecting the Cavaliers to send an extra man to Kobe, Pau and Andrew, along with a zone defense, will require the Lakers to be more mindful of their passing and in their shot selection. Hopefully, the Lakers are prepared for that.
Game Info
When: Tonight at 7:30 p.m. (PST)
Where: Staples Center
TV: FoxSports
Radio: 710/1330 AM ESPN
