Utah Jazz: Jazz Host Cavs In SLC

Following their high-scoring affair with the Knicks on Wednesday night, the Utah Jazz are set to welcome the Cleveland Cavaliers to SLC on Friday night. It’s no secret that the Cavs are a downright awful team that is decimated with injuries and are in need of a certain “King” who is playing down south. In the last 22 games the Cavs have won just one game, and in their last 11 contests they have won zero. To make their mediocrity even more evident, the Cavs lost their last game by a score of 112-57! A difference of 55 points!

Coming into the season everybody thought the Cavs were probably the worst team in the NBA, and as things stand now, it is actually the truth: the Cavs have the worst record in the league at 8-30. 16 games into the season, the Cavs had a 7-9 record, and people seemed very surprised that the Cavs were holding up as well as they were. 22 games later and all of that is forgotten. The point is that this is a game that the Utah Jazz should win with ease. No late-game heroics, no incredible comeback, just a nice beatdown of an inferior team.

In their first matchup of the season, the Jazz beat the Cavs 101-90 behind 22 bench points by CJ Miles. The Cavs were led in scoring by Daniel “Boobie” Gibson who scored 29. Gibson shot 7-8 from 3-point land, which just happens to be the same as Shawne Williams shot earlier this week against the Jazz. Luckily for the Jazz, though, Gibson is questionable for this game with a left ankle sprain.

In order to get you fans ready for the game, here is a list of projected starters for the Cavs and how they have performed up to this point in the season:

• Mo Williams – Williams is averaging 14 points per game and 7 assists per game. He is basically Cleveland’s go-to guard when it comes to scoring the basketball. He can have a deadly 3-point shot on some nights, and he can cause real problems for the opposition if he’s on. If Cleveland has any chance tonight, they will need a big performance out of John Legend’s look-alike. (Look at their pictures and tell me they don’t look alike)
• Manny Harris – Harris is averaging nearly 6 points per game and 2.4 rebounds per game. Harris has started a total of 6 games in his brief NBA career. The rookie out of Michigan is still finding his way in the NBA, and he shouldn’t be much of a factor in this game. But all it takes is one great performance to really make a name for yourself. Maybe that night is tonight. Doubt it!
• Antawn Jamison – Jamison is the leading scorer for the Cavs with 16 points per game out of the small forward position. The 12-year veteran out of North Carolina is definitely not the talent he once was, but he continues to be a dangerous player on the offensive side of the ball with his unorthodox shots. Andrei Kirilenko will surely have his hands full with Jamison tonight.
• JJ Hickson – Hickson is averaging almost 11 points per game and he is grabbing down 5.5 rebounds per game. The second-year player out of NC State is a fun player to watch as he can usually be found on the receiving end of an alley-oop. His athleticism and energy are very important for the Cavs right now, and he is probably the main reason why anybody shows up to their home games.
• Ryan Hollins – Hollins is averaging 4.6 points per game and 2.4 rebounds per game. He has only started 4 games this season for the Cavs, but he has played in 31. Hollins is a lanky 7-footer with some hops. He can swat shots into the third row, and he can throw down amazing dunks that are real crowd pleasers. When it comes to the impact on the game, Hollins is not going to be the type of player who will change a game much. He can do some nice things here and there, but he’s definitely not somebody the Jazz are preparing too hard for.

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Since this is my last post of the week, I want to give out my game ball for player of the week. This week, since the Jazz only played on Wednesday night, I am going to include Saturday night’s game with the Rockets as part of my decision. With that being said, the Player of the Week for the Jazz is Paul Millsap who averaged 22 points and 9 rebounds in the two games. Of course ‘Sap’s standout performance came on Saturday night against the Houston Rockets as he scored 23 of his 27 points in the 4th quarter and overtime. In a game that was tight until the end, ‘Sap was the player that the Jazz leaned on when it mattered the most.

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Random Stat Nugget Of The Week

Utah Jazz are not only the #1 team in FG% offense in 4th quarter but also the #1 team in FG% defense in the 4th quarter. (stat via David Locke)