Live Thread: Cavs vs. Trailblazers (#ReturnOfTheSleeves)

Don’t make him angry… you wouldn’t like him when he’s angry…

On the heels of their first three game losing streak since the Finals, there are a few things the Cavs can look forward to tonight… a return to the Q where they’ve been 9-1 (vs. just 4-6 on the road), a return of LeBron James after a night off in South Beach, an imminent return of Kyrie and Iman from injury… oh yeah, and also a return of the infamous black sleeved alternate jerseys. The last time (which was also the first time) that the Cavs went with their brand new, poly-blend mini-straightjackets, the King was not amused. After shooting just 4-11 in the first half of the November 4th contest with the Knicks, he went full on LeHulk and ripped the offensive sleeves almost entirely from his body. Though he didn’t wind up shooting much better post-rip, he did manage to rally the Cavs to victory that night, scoring 11 points in the fourth… sleeves flapping behind him as he raced past Knick defenders. We’ll see how long the sleeves survive tonight, although it does seem appropriate that they’d show up against the squad from “Rip City.”

According to LeBron, though, he’s much less concerned with what he wears versus how his team is currently playing…

“Whatever uniform is put in my locker I’ll wear and be ready for the game,” James said following this morning’s shootaround. “The last thing on my mind right now is our uniforms. It’s playing better.”

The Cavs could certainly use a few well played games, and hopefully victories, over their next few games. It’s a relatively light week, with just two games (Portland tonight and @ Orlando on Friday) and only three the following week. Mo Williams is considered probable following an MRI on his left knee after tweaking it against the Heat, although Kevin Love is a game time decision with an illness.

Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers, who many expected to be in complete rebuild mode, are a surprising 9-13 so far this season. They’ve found a serviceable big man rotation to complement their dynamic backcourt duo of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. They’re coming off a tough loss (90-88) to the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday, but their two guards should warrant plenty of attention from Cavs defenders (Lillard is eighth in the league in scoring, averaging 24.1 points).

Probable lineups: for the Cavs, Matthew Dellavedova, J.R. Smith, LeBron James, Kevin Love, Timofey Mozgov; and for the Blazers, Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum, Al-Farouq Aminu, Noah Vonleh and Mason Plumlee.

Tipoff is at 7 p.m. (EST), and the game will be shown on Fox Sports Ohio.

I’m predicting a bounce-back game for the Cavs (despite the uniforms and the dangerous backcourt duo of the Blazers), and believe they’ll put this one in the win column… 107-97.

What’s your prediction? And also your over/under on how long the sleeves last?

Let it RIP! And GO CAVS!