January 1st , 2010
Cavs Coming, & CD-R Gets Defensive
There are some crazy things going on elsewhere in the league, but the Nets focus is on tomorrow's afternoon matchup with the Cavaliers (1pm | YES | WFAN 660 AM), who come to the IZOD Center for the first of two trips this season. That means LeBron James is in the building, and the team-wide mission must involve finding ways to slow down the reigning MVP.
James, who posted a relatively modest 23 points, six rebounds and seven assists against the Nets on December 15th, has helped lead Cleveland to 11 victories in its last 12 games. Most recently, he dropped a 48-10-6 line (with two steals and two blocks) against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday – on the second night of a back-to-back.
"LeBron has been my guy since I was a sophomore in high school," said Nets swingman
Chris Douglas-Robets
, who will open the game covering James. "I’ve seen (him), played with, played against – there’s nothing you can do to stop the guy. He’s that special, he’s a special player. You just have to play him as a team. He’s like Kobe – there’s nothing you can do to stop him, you just have to play him as a team. It’s a great challenge, and I haven’t played him since I’ve been a professional, so I’m looking forward to it."
Beyond James, the Cavaliers have been efficient on offense and stingy on defense. They shoot .482 from the floor (5th), and .416 from three (2nd), and the resulting eFG% of 52.9* is tied for second in the league behind Phoenix. Their 107.5 efficiency is seventh. Defensively, they allow only 99.3 points per 100 possessions (4th) and are a superb rebounding squad, pulling in 77 percent of all available defensive rebounds, second only to Orlando.
*Accounts for the increased value of three-pointers: (FG + 0.5 * 3P) / FGA
Offseason acquistion Shaquille O'Neal splits the time at center with long-time mainstay Zydrunas Ilgauskas, with the duo averaging a combined nightly line of 18.3 points, 12.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in 45 minutes. All-Star point guard Mo Williams had scored 20-plus in five straight games before Wednesday, and second-year forward J.J. Hickson has broken in the starting lineup, averaging 7.1 PPG (.552 FG%) and 3.7 rebounds.
"You’re playing against one of the best teams in the NBA tomorrow and it’s a good chance for our young lads to learn lots of things," said Nets coach and GM
Kiki Vandewghe
. "LeBron’s one of the best players in the league; Shaq’s a legend. You've got a lot of good players on that team, a lot of good things to learn. The first thing to learn is you got to step up and compete. We’re focusing on getting better ourselves no matter who we play, whether it’s the first team in the league, the second or the last."
The Nets have gotten an inspired four games from forward Yi Jianlian, who's averaging 22.5 PPG and 6.8 RPG while shooting .541 after returning from a seven-week layoff, as well as season-long consistency from center Brook Lopez, who's good for 18.8 points, 9.8 rebounds and two blocked shots nightly, though he struggled during a recent three-game stretch.
With Wednesday's return of Douglas-Roberts to the starting lineup following his recovery from a sprained ankle, the Nets tipped off with their intended five on the court for only the third time this season and first in two months. That provided a psychological boost, and the Nets responded with a rousing victory against the Knicks.
"It was great," said point guard Devin Harris. "It lifts your spirits up when you have 13 bodies in uniform, we have all our weapons and guys are playing together. Evenly distributed all across defensively, we rebounded and ran. Those are the things we can do, but we have to show it more than just a game here and a game there.
CD-R's Ankle Absorbs Major Minutes
Against the Knicks, Chris Douglas-Roberts scored 17 points on 8-of-15 shooting in 37 minutes, despite having missed three games and most of the practices since injuring himself against the Lakers on December 19th.
"I expected to play my regular minutes," Douglas-Roberts said. "That was the whole reason for me sitting out the games that I sat out. I didn’t want to come back and play here and there, because if my ankle tightened up or started getting sore, it wouldn’t do nothing but slow me down. Me and Kiki had an understanding that if I was coming back, I’d play my regular minutes."
CD-R continued to say that the ankle's still sore, and probably will be until the All-Star break, but wouldn't be an issue because guys around the league are similarly dinged up.
Jarvis Judged Ready to Go
Anyone wielding a Match-Up reversible jersey tomorrow need not worry: Jarvis Hayes will play for the first time since straining his left hamstring in the season opener.
"I talked to Kiki earlier in the week," Hayes said. "Maybe 3-, 4-minute spurts and just see how it goes.. Obviously not 30, 40 minutes."
Devin's not Jumping to Conclusions
Devin Harris' shot has been unquestionably off this season (eFG% on jumpers down to .351 from .419 a year ago, according to 82games.com), and the PG is well aware:
"I'll continue to shoot, I’m in (the practice facility) every night," Harris said. "I got faith that they’ll fall. But obviously with the guys coming back, I look for my assist numbers to go up. I can score without a problem, but when we’re evenly distributed, I think we’re tougher to guard rather than one guy taking 28 shots. The guys who get in the game get 10 or 12. It’s more of a recipe for success for us."
--Posted by Ben Couch at 3:29 p.m.
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