Indiana at Cleveland

[Real Deal]

TIME: 7:30 PM ET

TV: n/a

[The Lone Granger]

I'm really looking forward to the game tonight! Indiana against Cleveland for the first time since LeBron has left, and I can't wait. I know we always played this team tough even when LeBron was in town, and now that he's not I'm really hoping to pay them back for the losses we took during his tenure there. Even though I want the blowout win, I know it's not going to happen. It will come down to which team doesn't make mistakes and miss free throws in the 4th quarter more than likely.

[The Lone Granger]

Cavaliers Injury Updates

 

Anderson Varejao (ribs) will not play Saturday against the Pacers.

Ryan Hollins will start in his place and is worth a look as a desperation play. More than likely, though, the Cavs will go with a smaller lineup that features heavier minutes from J.J. Hickson and Antawn Jamison. Something in the ballpark of 30 minutes or less sounds right for Hollins.

 

Mo Williams (groin) will not play on Saturday against the Pacers.

Ramon Sessions will start in his place and looks like a nice play for tonight's game, particularly if Indiana decides to turn it into one of their track-meets. Daniel Gibson also gets a bump in value with this news.

 

Good news for the Pacers that these two can't go tonight. I know first-hand that Mo Williams is known as a Pacer killer, and Varejao has always hurt us as well. Hopefully this means we can get a win, and not just a close game, I want a blowout to get some revenge on Cleveland for those days when they had LeBron. Let's get it Pacers!

[Cleveland's Finest]

No Mo or Verajao...this team looked TERRIBLE. They better be back soon or we are going to go on a big losing streak. Pacers had control of the whole game and despite the tie at the half, you could tell the Cavs were headed for a downward spiral. 1-4 at home now. Jamison seems hurt too, so now we have all old veterans or youngsters playing.

 

This game showed to me that Verajao's our best player. His spirit on the court motivates the whole team, and this game shows that.

[The Lone Granger]

Very nice win for us. We came to play, and we didn't disappoint. Granger went off for 34, Hibbert with the double-double, Collison and Ford held down the point guard rotation very nicely, and Mike Dunleavy put up 20 points for us as well. Great job to get this win, and get back to .500.

[Cleveland's Finest]

I wanted to add that I really underestimated Indiana. If Dunleavy can stay healthy a full year, this team could upset a top seed in the East. They have a good player at every position. For example, a team like the Heat could struggle against them because Collison and Hibbert outmatch them at the center and point guard. If they play Orlando, I think Hibbert could neutralize Howard and Granger will outplay Carter. This team has a very bright future. Guys like McRoberts, Foster, Ford, and Rush are excellent bench players.

[The Lone Granger]

I wanted to add that I really underestimated Indiana. If Dunleavy can stay healthy a full year, this team could upset a top seed in the East. They have a good player at every position. For example, a team like the Heat could struggle against them because Collison and Hibbert outmatch them at the center and point guard. If they play Orlando, I think Hibbert could neutralize Howard and Granger will outplay Carter. This team has a very bright future. Guys like McRoberts, Foster, Ford, and Rush are excellent bench players.

 

Great post. Yeah, we have two good players at some positions. Like you said with Hibbert up front, he solidifies that position. Foster is going to be back to be that backup center which is a very solid backup. As for power forward we have both McRoberts and Hansbrough who are both hustlers, rebounders, and can score the ball as well. As for the wing positions, we have a lot of players that we can mix and match as we need. Danny Granger, Mike Dunleavy, Brandon Rush, Paul George, and even Dahntay Jones just goes to show how deep we are around the perimeter. At point guard we have Darren Collison like you said, and then Ford has come out this year wanting to ball, and he has had a very solid year thus far for us.

 

Assuming we continue to play tough defense, we will make the Playoffs, and if we start working more together as a team, and cut down on the stupid passes then I think we can compete in the Playoffs. Do I think they have a shot to make the Finals? Absolutely not, but I could see us upsetting a team like the Magic or Heat just like you said. Thanks for some recognition man!