Preview: Cavs at Warriors, January 11th

(I’m pretty sure I’ve posted that for a Warrior game before, and that I’m like the 4,000th blogger to do so. I still couldn’t not post it. It’s impossible to resist.)

Relevant Statistics:

Pace: Cavs 93.0 (28th) vs. Warriors 103.3 (1st, and the gap between them and the 2nd-fastest team in the league is the size of the gap between #2 and #8 in terms of pace.)

Offensive Efficiency: Cavs 108.1 (6th) vs. Warriors 103.2 (20th)

Defensive Efficiency: Cavs 99.9 (4th) vs. Warriors 108.2 (29th)

Notes:

-The Warriors are dangerous. They’re dangerous to opponents, they’re dangerous to themselves, they’re dangerous to their fans, they’re dangerous to the sanctity of the all-time record for coaching wins. This is not a team to be overestimated, but they’re not to be looked past.

-They’re also playing well recently, with a controversial one-point loss on the road at Denver, a win over Minnesota, and a great comeback win over the Kings. They’re a team of runs, and they appear to be on a good one right now.

-Second game of a road back-to-back + fastest team in the NBA + LeBron playing 45 minutes last night = cause for concern. As ridiculous as the thought of LeBron tiring can seem, it could theoretically happen.

-Lots of Delonte in this one, please, because the Warriors have two starting guards who play the hole game, like to shoot, and can score the ball, particularly Monta Ellis.

-It’ll be interesting to see who LeBron guards at the beginning of this one, because if he starts of on Maggette, there’s serious risk of foul trouble, which the Cavs can’t abide. AP seems like a good defensive matchup because he’s a crafty defender who gets respect from the refs, but who do LeBron and Hickson mark at the beginning of the game?

-It’ll be interesting to see who gets the better of the Shaq/Warrior matchup; so far this season, the Cavs have been better adapting to mismatches rather than trying to cause them, so I’d expect limited minutes for Shaq, but he’s been effective lately and might be raring to go off against the Warrior frontcourt.

-Cavs like to give a lot of help, but they’ve got to keep a body on Anthony Morrow at all times. It’s beautiful to watch him shoot with his feet set.

-I’d like to give some sort of helpful analysis of what Anthony Randolph being hurt will mean for the Cavs in this one, but my brain is unable to get past how disappointed I am that I won’t get to watch Anthony Randolph play.

-Biedrins, who’s working his way back into the rotation after recovering from injury, might be the Warriors’ one chance to not get killed inside, and he did put in 22 solid minutes of work in the Sacramento game. Something to watch.

-If Jawad Williams wants to make himself a permanent fixture in the rotation, tonight’s his chance to shine as a stretch four.

Alright guys, see you later tonight with a recap.