Gameday Thread: Hornets @ Cavaliers

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(19-35)New Orleans Hornets @ Cleveland Cavaliers(16-37)


Wednesday, February 20th
7:00pm Central Time
Local Channel: NO TV
National Channel: ESPN
Quicken Loans Arena


http://www.sportzin.com/forums/uploa...341-U10500.jpg



Projected Starters:

http://msn.foxsports.com/fe/images/N...0x170/4759.jpghttp://msn.foxsports.com/fe/images/N...0x170/5016.jpghttp://msn.foxsports.com/fe/images/N...0x170/4723.jpghttp://msn.foxsports.com/fe/images/N...0x170/5007.jpghttp://msn.foxsports.com/fe/images/N...0x170/4477.jpg
VASQUEZ - RIVERS - AMINU - DAVIS - LOPEZ



http://msn.foxsports.com/fe/images/N...0x170/4840.jpghttp://msn.foxsports.com/fe/images/N...0x170/5010.jpghttp://msn.foxsports.com/fe/images/N...0x170/4686.jpghttp://msn.foxsports.com/fe/images/N...0x170/4884.jpghttp://msn.foxsports.com/fe/images/N...0x170/5023.jpg
IRVING - WAITERS - GEE - THOMPSON - ZELLER


Complete Team Stats:

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M.S. Boyer/J. Valade ‏@PDcavsinsider
BScott to #Cavs re: ESPN game tonight vs NO: "You should be really geeked up about this game because it is nationally televised.''

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Cleveland Cavaliers looking forward to seeing New Orleans Hornets No. 1 draft pick Anthony Davis tonight at The Q

Oh lordy Kyrie's gonna go off :hihi:

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Originally Posted by Purple Haze

Oh lordy Kyrie's gonna go off :hihi:

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Exactly what I was thinking. National tv? He's going to try to make highlights all night long.

Vasquez will be out with fractured ankles tonight. Although if Monty was smart, he would put Gordon on Irving.

I would put Aminu on Irving.

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Originally Posted by Inner_GI

Vasquez will be out with fractured ankles tonight. Although if Monty was smart, he would put Gordon on Irving.

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Then Waiters will tear GV up :hihi:

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Originally Posted by Pelicans78

I would put Aminu on Irving.

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Now that would be interesting.

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Originally Posted by Inner_GI

Vasquez will be out with fractured ankles tonight. Although if Monty was smart, he would put Gordon on Irving.

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hahahahaha I bet Kyrie is excited

Aminu is probably our best overall defenders. I think Irving would abuse Gordon as well. Leave Gordon on Waiters, put Gravy on their SF.

Gravy couldn't handle Gee either but it'd be better than Kyrie or Waiters.

Vasquez will be on Irving. This team doesn't like to cross match.

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Originally Posted by AD23forMVP

Vasquez will be on Irving. This team doesn't like to cross match.

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:help:

Vasquez could guard the 3, I think. But this coaching staff like to get burned by the guards and collapse like folding chair to allow the wide open three.

Hornets should be allow over their front court though. I think we have a chance, but I'm going to say Cleveland wins by 7.

gordon isnt playing tonight. Might be for the better. This team looked good in its back to back wins before the all star break without him. Also, when the defense is actually run to perfection by the players, we are VERY tough to score on. The defensive game plan will not work without tight rotations, simple as that. it has to become instinctual, and its hard to teach instincts.

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Originally Posted by Pelicans78

Aminu is probably our best overall defenders. I think Irving would abuse Gordon as well. Leave Gordon on Waiters, put Gravy on their SF.

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completely agree. if we were trying to win the game...

wish gordon woulda sat out last night instead of tonight

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Originally Posted by AD23forMVP

Vasquez will be on Irving. This team doesn't like to cross match.

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Which is really stupid. What's the point of having versatile players if you aren't going to use them like that?

Is it bad that I'm watching this game more for Kyrie than anything else?

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Originally Posted by Nola3

Is it bad that I'm watching this game more for Kyrie than anything else?

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To each his own I guess. I'm watching for Anthony Davis amongst other things.

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Originally Posted by Nola3

Is it bad that I'm watching this game more for Kyrie than anything else?

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Not at all. You get to see Davis all season long. Only get to see Kyrie in person once.

Just so long as you aren't rooting for Irving to win.

I like how Leaveland... Sorry, I meant Cleveland, is considered infinitely more talented than us by the major media and a nice chunk of people would feel the same.

Yet we have 3 more wins. It's astonishing.

Talent doesn't always equate to wins... Lakers for example...

Maybe somebody should tweet @RandyGup and ask him if he's told Greivis what Kyrie is going to do to him tonight.

"If Kyrie can cross up Brandon Knight, I shudder to think what he'll do to you, Grievous One"

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Originally Posted by MeSoHornets504

I like how Leaveland... Sorry, I meant Cleveland, is considered infinitely more talented than us by the major media and a nice chunk of people would feel the same.

Yet we have 3 more wins. It's astonishing.

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Who has actually said this ? I listed to national media often and don't recall this .

Nobody on this team or the league for that matter can guard Kyrie. I think out Front Court has the advantage in this game tho.

Kyrie is gonna put up 30 on us. Still got a good shot to win this one though, and since it's on ESPN I really hope we destroy them.

We might be in for a good surprise tonight. I don't know though. I might feel a bit more optimistic if this game weren't on ESPN. Normally we don't do so good on ESPN.

Also, I remember us talking about how CP3 & Bledsoe would kill Greivis on 11/26 though but that never really happened that night.

Hopefully Ryan and Greivis will have a better night offensively than they did last night.

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Originally Posted by HunnyB

We might be in for a good surprise tonight. I don't know though. I might feel a bit more optimistic if this game weren't on ESPN. Normally we don't do so good on ESPN.

Also, I remember us talking about how CP3 & Bledsoe would kill Greivis on 11/26 though but that never really happened that night.

Hopefully Ryan and Greivis will have a better night offensively than they did last night.

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Teague was also supposedly gonna destroy GV...
Insert young fast pg and they will "destroy GV" according to this board. :cool:

That said... Kyrie Irving IS really good.

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Originally Posted by WhoDatPelican

Teague was also supposedly gonna destroy GV...
Insert young fast pg and they will "destroy GV" according to this board. :cool:

That said... Kyrie Irving IS really good.

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Oh yeah, he IS good. But Chris Paul is still widely touted as the best pg in the league right now and while expected to do so, he didn't kill Gravy. Irving will probably still be riding high off of ASG weekend too.

How's Irving's defense?

He's good. He still has to play both ends of the court though.

Just because Teague or CP3 didn't score 35 doesn't mean Vasquez held them in check. They were consistently getting into the paint and dishing out to shooters like every PG in the league does against vasquez.

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Originally Posted by Inner_GI

Just because Teague or CP3 didn't score 35 doesn't mean Vasquez held them in check. They were consistently getting into the paint and dishing out to shooters like every PG in the league does against vasquez.

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Yea but like I've said before there are not many players who can guard the top talent of this league 1 on 1.
Help defense is really real.
Not saying GV is the best ..or a defensive specialist or anything like that. I just don't think he is as bad as many make him out to be on this board. There have been a number of times where i've thought he played GREAT defense and a number of times he gets burned and the bigs need to help clog up the paint. It happens.

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Originally Posted by WhoDatPelican

Yea but like I've said before there are not many players who can guard the top talent of this league 1 on 1.
Help defense is really real.
Not saying GV is the best ..or a defensive specialist or anything like that. I just don't think he is as bad as many make him out to be on this board. There have been a number of times where i've thought he played GREAT defense and a number of times he gets burned and the bigs need to help clog up the paint. It happens.

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Correct, but Vasquez doesn't even guard the middle of the road PGs that well. Also, our defense is a just big folding chair. It's why we give up crazy open 3 pointers, and combine that with a guard with poor defensive skills, it's just a disaster at time.

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Originally Posted by Inner_GI

our defense is a just big folding chair. It's why we give up crazy open 3 pointers, and combine that with a guard with poor defensive skills, it's just a disaster at time.

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It's because someone was in Taco and not Gap 2. :hihi:

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Originally Posted by WhoDatPelican

Yea but like I've said before there are not many players who can guard the top talent of this league 1 on 1.
Help defense is really real.
Not saying GV is the best ..or a defensive specialist or anything like that. I just don't think he is as bad as many make him out to be on this board. There have been a number of times where i've thought he played GREAT defense and a number of times he gets burned and the bigs need to help clog up the paint. It happens.

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Help defense can prove to be vital. Vasquez might not be holding anyone in check but guys don't kill every counterpart every single night either. No matter how good they are.

Until this year, I actually looked forward to the ESPN broadcasts simply because I didn't have to listen to Bob and Gil. Granted, it wasn't much of an improvement, but it was nonetheless an improvement. Now, I find myself missing Joel on our national broadcasts. He makes the ESPN announcers look like amateurs.

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Originally Posted by SeaLegs

Until this year, I actually looked forward to the ESPN broadcasts simply because I didn't have to listen to Bob and Gil. Granted, it wasn't much of an improvement, but it was nonetheless an improvement. Now, I find myself missing Joel on our national broadcasts. He makes the ESPN announcers look like amateurs.

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Agreed 1000%. Love me some Meyers.

Help defense may be all the rage as some of you are claiming, but imagine how much better our defense would be if we had a PG that didn't need so much help defense.

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Originally Posted by donato

Help defense may be all the rage as some of you are claiming, but imagine how much better our defense would be if we had a PG that didn't need so much help defense.

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Even Chris Paul benefitted from help defense. He wasn't the best man to man defender. Yeah imagine it though.

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Originally Posted by SeaLegs

Until this year, I actually looked forward to the ESPN broadcasts simply because I didn't have to listen to Bob and Gil. Granted, it wasn't much of an improvement, but it was nonetheless an improvement. Now, I find myself missing Joel on our national broadcasts. He makes the ESPN announcers look like amateurs.

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Indeed. It's a total 180 from CST. They were all goofy stuff. They'd be perfect for some minor league commentary, but they just made our team sound like some kind of joke.

NBA.com/Stats ‏@nbastats
Anthony Davis leads rooks in RPG (7.51), BPG (1.9), SPG (1.2), & Points-In-Paint (356), as he takes on last yr's ROY tonite #CLEvsNOH @ESPN

I think I'd prefer Barry and Mark Jones tonight. Don't feel much like listening to Breen and Van Gundy's rabble babble. :hihi:

Watch Vasquez all game get blown by and have someone come help from 10' away. Its ridiculous! I love Vasquez but its the truth. He also is horrible with getting anyone open on the pick&roll. His only shot at scoring is a very difficult bank shot he has developed on the drive over smaller guys. We lose about 5 or more alleys a game to Davis because of Vasquez slow feet. This is why I would love Bledsoe he would absolutely change our defense completely and be an even bigger impact on offense then Vasquez.

Already you see Zeller wide open because of Vasquez. This will happen all game and his #s will never actually produce consistent wins. Our guard off the bench? Wold love it!

Rivers better figure out Waiters quick or it could be a long game..

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Originally Posted by GuardianAngel25

Already you see Zeller wide open because of Vasquez. This will happen all game and his #s will never actually produce consistent wins. Our guard off the bench? Wold love it!

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Dude. Try to restrain yourself. :hihi:

We look horrible so far.

Rivers for 3.

Nice 3, Rivers.