by Chris Lucia
Fresh off a trade that netted them All-Star forward Luol Deng, the Cleveland Cavaliers come to town tonight to face the Blazers in the Moda Center. Kyrie Irving and the Cavs will have revenge on their minds as Portland guard Damian Lillard helped the Blazers beat them with a last-second three-pointer a month ago in Cleveland.
Cleveland Cavaliers (14-24) vs. Portland Trail Blazers (28-9)
Wednesday, January 15
Moda Center; Portland, OR | 7:00 p.m. PST | Local TV/Radio: KGWHD; 620 AM
Out for the Blazers: N/A | Out for the Cavaliers: N/A
SBN Affiliate: Fear the Sword | Timmay's viewing guide | Jersey contest | Blazer's Edge Night
Fresh off a three-day rest, the Blazers host the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight at home before hitting the road for a four-game trip.
Last week, Cavaliers GM Chris Grant shipped center Andrew Bynum to the Bulls for forward Luol Deng, and the Cleveland fan base seems pretty enthusiastic about the acquisition. Deng, a two-time All-Star and effective two-way player, infuses talent into Cavs coach Mike Brown's lineup and improves the team on both ends of the court.
Cleveland point guard Kyrie Irving, who missed three games earlier this month with a knee injury, is the biggest scoring threat for the Cavaliers. Irving is a decent three-point shooter on the season, but lately he's been on fire, hitting half his outside attempts since coming back from injury last week. His ability to get to the rim allows Irving to either draw a foul or set up a teammate with his passing ability. He's not the best finisher in the paint, but he's a solid jump-shooter and can't be ignored from the perimeter.
Irving is the focal point of Brown's offense, clearly, but guards C.J. Miles and Dion Waiters have emerged as high-usage players and the arrival of Deng shakes things up a bit.
Miles has been one of the best three-point shooters in the league the last several weeks, hitting 58 percent of his 6.2 attempts per contest. In a game against the 76ers last week, Miles set a team-record with 10 made threes. He's a decent finisher and mid-range shooter, but about half his attempts come from downtown. Miles also draws fouls and along with Irving, is a force on the defensive end creating steals from the Cavs backcourt.
Source:- http://www.blazersedge.com/2014/1/14/5310506/portland-trail-blazers-vs-cleveland-cavaliers-preview
Fresh off a trade that netted them All-Star forward Luol Deng, the Cleveland Cavaliers come to town tonight to face the Blazers in the Moda Center. Kyrie Irving and the Cavs will have revenge on their minds as Portland guard Damian Lillard helped the Blazers beat them with a last-second three-pointer a month ago in Cleveland.
Cleveland Cavaliers (14-24) vs. Portland Trail Blazers (28-9)
Wednesday, January 15
Moda Center; Portland, OR | 7:00 p.m. PST | Local TV/Radio: KGWHD; 620 AM
Out for the Blazers: N/A | Out for the Cavaliers: N/A
SBN Affiliate: Fear the Sword | Timmay's viewing guide | Jersey contest | Blazer's Edge Night
Fresh off a three-day rest, the Blazers host the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight at home before hitting the road for a four-game trip.
Last week, Cavaliers GM Chris Grant shipped center Andrew Bynum to the Bulls for forward Luol Deng, and the Cleveland fan base seems pretty enthusiastic about the acquisition. Deng, a two-time All-Star and effective two-way player, infuses talent into Cavs coach Mike Brown's lineup and improves the team on both ends of the court.
Cleveland point guard Kyrie Irving, who missed three games earlier this month with a knee injury, is the biggest scoring threat for the Cavaliers. Irving is a decent three-point shooter on the season, but lately he's been on fire, hitting half his outside attempts since coming back from injury last week. His ability to get to the rim allows Irving to either draw a foul or set up a teammate with his passing ability. He's not the best finisher in the paint, but he's a solid jump-shooter and can't be ignored from the perimeter.
Irving is the focal point of Brown's offense, clearly, but guards C.J. Miles and Dion Waiters have emerged as high-usage players and the arrival of Deng shakes things up a bit.
Miles has been one of the best three-point shooters in the league the last several weeks, hitting 58 percent of his 6.2 attempts per contest. In a game against the 76ers last week, Miles set a team-record with 10 made threes. He's a decent finisher and mid-range shooter, but about half his attempts come from downtown. Miles also draws fouls and along with Irving, is a force on the defensive end creating steals from the Cavs backcourt.
Source:- http://www.blazersedge.com/2014/1/14/5310506/portland-trail-blazers-vs-cleveland-cavaliers-preview
