Game Preview: Miami Heat at Cleveland Cavaliers

Hello All,

The Heat take on the Cavaliers Thursday night in the second game of a back to back.

I haven’t heard much about the Cavs this season, so I am not really sure what to expect. I mean, these mid-size markets never really mount much of a challenge, and it is rare that they are ever relevant to the conversation.

Ba dum cha.

I don’t need to talk much about this matchup. The Cavs have the best team in the East and have won 11 of 12. The Heat have been terrible and are banged up. Still, when these two got together last week it was a classic, coming down to consecutive one-on-one matchups between Lebron and Wade at either end of the floor. LeBron got the upper hand, but it was exactly what we wanted to see.

These matchups have become “I am sitting in the couch every single time these two play” affairs. These are two of the three best players in the game, and they always take it up a notch when they are on the court together. Which will be really crazy when they are on the same team next year. Oh wait, I’m not supposed to talk about that.

PROJECTED STARTERS

Heat                             Cavs

PG Alston                   D. West

SG Wade                      A. Parker

SF Richardson          LeBron

PF Beasley                  J. Hickson

C O’Neal (?)                 Shaq

No elaboration needed.

STATISTICAL BREAKDOWN (Via Statsheet.com; 2/3/10)

Effective Field Goal %
The Heat is 18^th in the league at 49.1%; the Cavs are 2^nd at 53.3%.
EDGE: Cavs (Big)

Turnover %
The Heat is 2^nd in the league at 12.8%; the Cavs are 21^st at 14.8%.
EDGE: Heat

Offensive Rebound %
The Heat is 16^th in the league at 26.1%; the Cavs are 21^st at 25.1%.
EDGE: Even

Free Throw Rate
The Heat is 14^th in the league at 30.8%; the Cavs are 5^th at 34.2%.
EDGE: Cavs (Big)

KEY TO THE GAME
This is simple. Last time the Heat lost by one when Wade was outscored in the second half. The Heat were in the game only because of Wade, but when the Cavs put the clamps on him in the second half, the team fell apart. Whoever wins the battle between LeBron and Wade (and not just points, mind you) will lead their team to victory. I’d bet on it being the Cavs, saying as this is the second game of a road back to back for the Heat.