Tonight’s slate of games is one of the best of the entire season. We’ve got some juicy match-ups in store and we should learn a lot about a bunch of teams that are jockeying for playoff position. Tonight, we’re separation the men from the MEN (I don’t really like this saying, but I couldn’t come up with anything better. Sue me.)
Cleveland Cavaliers at Orlando Magic (7:00 PM EST)
While the Magic attempt to stave off a Dwight-induced self-destruction, Cleveland is looking to prove that they belong in the playoff conversation in the East. Kyrie Irving is having one of the best rookie seasons in NBA history, Anderson Varejao is off to the best start of his career and the Cavs are winning much more than anyone had any right to expect.
[flash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHRPDe5lMxs]
Miami Heat at Philadelphia 76ers (7:00 PM EST)
Each of these teams sports a top 10 ranking in both offensive and defensive efficiency coming in, and they sit tied for second place in the Eastern Conference behind the Chicago Bulls. However, they really couldn’t be constructed more differently. The Heat, though they have more depth this year than last, are still a very top-heavy team that gets most of their production out of the Big Three. Head coach Erik Spoelstra has made it a priority to raise the pace of their games to better take advantage of the Heat’s huge edge in speed and athleticism. Philly, meanwhile, is built on the principle of grinding out basketball games (22nd in pace) by being deeper and executing better than the opposition. They get some of the best bench play in the league with Lou Williams and Thaddeus Young. The marquee match-up in this one is LeBron James vs. Andre Iguodala. James and Iguodala are two of the – probably – top three wing defenders in the entire league, and they should each be able to cause problems for the other at different times this evening. Chris Bosh should be able to have a strong game against Elton Brand, but if Thaddeus Young sees significant time guarding him, Bosh could struggle with Young’s length and quickness. Sixers point guard Jrue Holiday should provide a nice test for the young Heat point guards Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole. Oh, and Dwyane Wade will be there too. This game should be all kinds of fun. For more analysis, I suggest reading this.
[flash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJlp-nJSbr0]
Washington Wizards at Toronto Raptors (7:00 PM EST)
One of two dreadful games tonight. The Raps have been terrible in Andrea Bargnani’s absence. The Wiz have just been terrible. If things get any worse in Washington, we might have to start the #FreeJohnWall movement. He’s too good to be languishing on this team, and it’s led to some pretty big struggles to start the year.
Milwaukee Bucks at Detroit Pistons (7:30 PM EST)
[flash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQOGDnLbSXE]
The second dreadful game, even if Brandon Jennings did get elected President for what he did to the Heat the other night. Wait, what? Oh well, #FreeGregMonroe.
Minnesota Timberwolves at New Jersey Nets (7:30 PM EST)
This game is pretty bad too, but RICKY RUBIO AND KEVIN LOVE!!! If Minnesota wants to stick in the playoff race out West, these are the kind of teams they have to take care of. Can’t be losing eminently winnable games in a playoff race as tight as this year’s Western Conference. Rubio should have his hands full on defense dealing with Deron Williams, but he should also be able to have a nice night on the offensive end, since the Nets’ defense is really, really bad. Love causes match-up problems for everyone, and he’ll undoubtedly have success against a weak New Jersey front line.
[flash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hg2Yxt3-zI4]
Phoenix Suns at Houston Rockets (8:00 PM EST)
Fun point guard match-up! Steve Nash vs Kyle Lowry should be nice to watch. They go about their business in different ways, but they’re both having effective seasons. Lowry has cooled off a bit after his scorching hot start to the year (especially in the FG% department) and Nash has been in-and-out of the lineup with injuries. The Marcin Gortat-Samuel Dalembert match-up inside should also be interesting. They’re both extremely strong defenders, though Gortat can be taken advantage of when you get his feet moving and Dalembert at times goes block-hunting when it’s not entirely necessary.
Memphis Grizzlies at Oklahoma City Thunder (8:00 PM EST)
In a rematch of last year’s insanely entertaining playoff series, both teams will likely be missing a starter due to injury. Granted, Zach Randolph is slightly more important to Memphis’ success than Thabo Sefalosha is to OKC’s, but Memphis also has Rudy Gay this time around, so I’m calling it even. The Gay-Kevin Durant tete-a-tete matches up two crazy-talented scorers with gigantically long arms. Russell Westbrook-Mike Conley is an avalanche of speed. James Harden-Tony Allen is the kind of offense-defense match-up that you just KNOW is going to be awesome to watch. Look for Memphis to try to pound the ball inside against the Thunder, while OKC will let Westbrook, Durant and Harden work their magic in the open court.
[flash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WobsSoVDVI]
New York Knicks at Boston Celtics (8:00 PM EST, ESPN)
[flash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8I4SfFxqUo]
These two teams met in the first game of the season, and it was quite a sight to see. Both teams have dealt with injuries and have been pretty up and down in the weeks since, but they each come in playing fairly strong basketball lately. The Knicks finally looked like everyone expected them to in a hard-fought loss to the Bulls last night, and if they can keep that level of effort and consistency going for the rest of the year, they should wind up in the playoffs just like everyone expected. The Celtics have won 7 of their last 9 games, including two crazy games against the Magic last week. The Knicks and Celtics tended to get a little chippy when they played each other last year, both in the regular season and the playoffs. It was no different in this year’s opener and I expect more of the same tonight. Boston is an established power in the East and the Knicks are still trying to fight their way to relevancy. The Knicks and Celtics are locational rivals, but they’ve never really had a RIVALRY. When these two teams meet, though, it’s almost intense enough to make you forget about that fact.
Indiana Pacers at Dallas Mavericks (8:30 PM EST)Â
I doubt I could do a better job previewing this game than the guys at 8points9seconds did. Watch the embedded video on that page for some great info on this one.
Los Angeles Lakers at Denver Nuggets (10:30 PM EST, ESPN)
[flash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XlnWQRpE8Q]
I don’t want to say too much about the Nuggets since I’ll be writing about them soon, but let’s dig into the Lakers here a bit. Everyone’s heard by now about Kobe’s crazy season, their struggles from three point land and their lack of a point guard, but has anyone noticed how bad this team has been outside the Staples Center this year? They’re 2-7 on the road right now and are averaging just 91.3 points per game away from home. Kobe (who is averaging 4 more MPG in road games than at home), Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum are averaging double-figures, but their next leading scorer in road games is Derek Fisher at 5.7. They need to get production from SOMEONE else.
