Matchup 8:
Cleveland Cavaliers (4, H) V Atlanta Hawks (5, A)
Kyrie Irving V Rajon Rondo
Landry (Clark) Fields V Tony Allen
Luol Deng V Marvin Williams
Kris ‘Humpty-Hump’ Humphries V Josh Smith
Andrew Bynum V DeAndre Jordan
-Bench-
Earl Watson V Jamal Crawford
George Hill V Rip Hamilton
Sam Young V Shard Lewis
Brandon Bass V Anthony Randolph
Matt Bonner V Chuck Hayes
Key Matchups: Kyrie Irving V Rajon Rondo
Well…shoot. Looks like this Irving kid can ball a little. You’d think Rondo would be able to step up to the plate to stop him, but the proof is in the puddin’. Rondo has experience on his side, as he’s played more playoff minutes in his career than Irving has played professional NBA minutes, but I think more than anything that ups Rondo’s production, rather than cutting Irvings’. I still like Rondo over Irving for the experience, and the knowledge that Rondo can pick up his play during the playoffs, but only just.
Key Match-Up: Luol Deng V Tony Allen
Oh, you thought he’d be playing Marvin Williams? Shut it, Roy, this is my show! Since Landry (Clark) Fields is who he is, Marvin Williams defers the tougher wing assignment to Tony Allen. Luol Deng is having a heck of a year, but he’s also 6’9, with freakishly long arms. Deng will be able to shoot over Allen as long as he gets a little bit of room, and that’ll be enough for Deng to continue his current production levels. 16 pts, 7 boards, 3 assists, 41% shooting. Not great, but good enough.
Key Matchup: Kris Humphries V Josh Smith
Kris Humpries thought he got worked over by Kim Kardashian. He was wrong. Rajon Rondo is not near the scorer Kyrie Irving is, but he’s twice the passer, and Josh Smith is one of the best finishers at the hoop in basketball. Rondo to Smith will be the go-to move for the Hawks here, and the Cavs have nobody who can even slow it down. When Smith and Humphries have played each other over the years, Smith has fared very well.
Key Matchup: Andrew Bynum V DeAndre Jordan
It’s a win for the Cavs here, and a pretty big one….not a huge one, but a big one. Since DeAndre Jordan has become a full-time starter and flavor of the month, he’s played pretty much like Tyson-Chandler Lite, but the New Orleans Hornets version. He doesn’t shoot buckets he can’t make (which means non-dunks or alley-oops), he rebounds well, and blocks tons of shots. Recently when he’s played Bynum, he’s played Bynum well. Not great, but okay. Bynum gets about what he gets against the league average.
Bench: Atlanta’s bench will play a key role in this series, I’m not sure what Cleveland’s bench will do. If George Hill plays alongside Irving, I almost think that’s worse for the Hawks, because they can’t switch Tony Allen to Deng. Also Matt Bonner, Sam Young, and Brandon Bass are all very useful pieces. However, Chuck Hayes likely plays the biggest role among any bench player. Career, Bynum is a 47% shooter in games Hayes has played, and while Hayes can’t take complete responsibility for that number, it’s a bit of a game-changer in that it allows the Hawks to play aggressively with their frontcourt fouls, especially DeAndre Jordan.
How I think this is gonna go: You gotta check back in tomorrow to find out.
Hey, you checked back!
Cleveland wins in 6. Rondo, Tony, DeAndre, and Josh Smith could get this done if they had an actual scorer in the lineup, and I don't mean Kevin Durant. I'd be happy with Kevin Martin, or Caron Butler.
I never thought you could have 'too much' defense, but when you don't have a single starter with a quasi-reliable mid-range game, let alone a 3pt shot, I just don't think the points will be there. The Cavs are too balanced, Kyrie Irving is too talented a scorer, and Bynum is a force that DeAndre Jordan can only slow down, not stop.
Topic: IP Ranks The Pick-Two Teams By Divison (All Divisions Are Up) (Read 92221 times)