Live Thread: Heat @ Cavs

The Cavs made quick work of the 76ers last night and play host to the Heat at the Q in less than an hour. Another win tonight would be the ninth straight for the Cavs. If the Heat win, it will be their fourth straight.

If the early season is any indication of the Cavs’ performance tonight, Miami has a great chance to get the upset. Cleveland has yet to win the second game of any back-to-back this season. The team is clearly playing better, but they are still older and have made a habit of not showing up in situations like tonight.

The Heat are led by Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside. Dragic is a very solid guard who can carve up defenses by getting deep into the paint on pick and rolls and keeping his dribble live without much of a challenge. He’s getting 19.2 points a night to go with 4.6 assists and 41% shooting from deep. Whiteside is a pick and roll finishing specialist and one of the better rim protectors the league has. He’s getting 1.64 blocks a night, and averages 12.6 boards and 15.2 points. He leaps at shots for blocks, but has gotten better at deterring shots near the rim throughout his career.

Seeing as this is a Cavs blog though, I have to mention that the Heat feature Dion Waiters at shooting guard. Dion is one of the more polarizing Cavs of the past couple years, and if you were to ask him he’d probably tell you he’s one of the best Cavs of all the years the franchise has been around. He’s confident. And, he does damage, albeit, inconsistently.

He was instrumental in the Heat ending Boston’s win streak last week when he dropped 26 points and six assists. He had this monstor dunk on Kyrie in the fourth:

I’m picking the Cavs to win tonight. Every thing seems to be going their way right now. Miami is well coached and they have some very solid players, but they lack the overall talent to beat Cleveland. The Cavs bench should easily feast on the Heat’s and provide a cushion if anything goes bad for the starters. I’m picking the Cavs 114-98.