Live Thread: Cavs vs. Mavs (#AThousandThanks)

In the spirit of giving thanks this time of year, we should be thankful for the incredible resilience and brilliance of LeBron James. Tonight, when the Cavs host the Dallas Mavericks at the Q, will mark the 1,000th regular season game played by The King. That’s kind of incredible to think about… especially since he hasn’t yet seen his 32nd birthday.

Here’s some of what he’s done in the first 999…

• 38,913 minutes
• 27,119 points
• 7,169 rebounds
• 6,927 assists
• 1,671 steals
• 780 blocks
• 12-time All-Star
• 4-time MVP

His teams have also gone 671-328 (.672 winning percentage) in those games, while he’s averaged a 27.1/7.2/6.9 slash line throughout (which is actually pretty easy to figure out given the 1K denominator). He wound up with his 44th regular season triple-double in his last game, so can’t wait to see what he’s got in store for his thousandth.

The Cavs, in general, have quite a bit to be thankful for… including the historic performance of their super Power Forward, Kevin Love, in Wednesday night’s contest. Kev’s 34 point first quarter was a bountiful sight to behold indeed. They’re also off to a scintillating 11-2 start, while averaging a conference high 110.8 points per game (just a hair behind the Clippers for second best in the NBA). The defense hasn’t been quite as plentiful, with the wine & gold serving up helpings at a 103.4 clip.

The Mavs, on the other hand, have been the turkeys of the early season thus far, coming into the game with the worst record in the League (2-12). They’ve been picked apart by injuries (most of their usual ball handlers are out with JJ Barea, Deron Williams and Devin Harris all down), including sporadic ones to the not-quite-as-ageless-as-usual Dirk Nowitzki, who has only played in four games this year. Dallas has lost seven games in a row, and despite the infusion of a couple of former Warriors (Harrison Barnes and Andrew Bogut), it’s been a dismal campaign for Mark Cuban’s crew.

Cleveland will have their full complement available, with one very unfortunate exception. Channing Frye was excused from the team indefinitely following the death of his father on Thanksgiving. This tragic loss comes less than a month following the passing of Channing’s mother to a long battle with cancer. He left an Instagram post in response.

Our heartfelt condolences go out to Channing and his family in this difficult time.

Prediction: The Cavs will keep the shooting hot in Frye’s absence and dish out another helping of defeat to the Mavs… 115-105.

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