Brooklyn Nets vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Pre-Game Report
Jan 6, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Caris LeVert (22) drives up to shoot during the third quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Barclays Center. Cleveland Cavaliers won 116-108. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
The Brooklyn Nets had a meltdown for the ages on Wednesday night when they blew an 18-point lead going into the fourth quarter. The Cleveland Cavaliers come into this matchup on a three-game losing streak of their own. Who will stop the bleeding?
The Brooklyn Nets have now lost three games in a row after imploding in the fourth quarter against the Miami Heat. After that terrible loss, Brooklyn is due to travel down to Cleveland for a bout with the defending champion Cavaliers.
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Not all is well up in Cleveland, though. The Cavs have lost three straight games and seven of their last ten games. After losing their past two games in close fashion against teams they should have handled easily, the Nets will come in looking to right the ship for the Cavs.. .or completely blow it off track.
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The Nets are 0-2 so far this season against the Cavs. One game was a blowout loss and the other, the most recent, was only an eight-point game that Brooklyn possibly could have snagged if Kyrie Irving had not gone off in the fourth quarter.
Brooklyn will need the energy and effort of the second matchup in order to compete with the Cavaliers. There is almost no doubt that, after all of the turmoil and criticism of the defending champions, they will come out fired up and ready to dominate yet again.
Due to the Cavs’ current state and the unpredictable nature of the Nets, this could be a really ugly blowout or a pretty close game.
Jan 6, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson (13) defends a driving Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) during the third quarter at Barclays Center. Cleveland Cavaliers won 116-108. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
Keys to Victory
1. Do not let them get up big early.
As mentioned, the Cavaliers have been struggling as of late, and they will probably come out fired up come game time. If Brooklyn does not want to get dominated, they will need to make sure they also come out ready to play. If Brooklyn goes down by double digits early, they are almost all but done for. Brooklyn has been pretty good at making comebacks in games to be competitive this season, but the Cavaliers are not the average team. You let LeBron James and the Cavaliers get hot early, they will not look back and stay in third gear.
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2. Play a full 48 minutes.
Brooklyn for years now has had third quarter issues. This year, they are still lingering around. New this year, though, are chronic fourth quarter woes. Up by 18 at the end of the third against the Heat, Brooklyn got destroyed and allowed 38 points in the final quarter en route to a three-point loss. If Brooklyn gets a lead in this game, they cannot get too excited or complacent. They will need to fight harder and make sure to not stop playing hard. One minute of lackluster play could give the Cavs the confidence they need to take the lead and run away with the game.
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3. Use players better.
Kenny Atkinson had some questionable players on the floor at the end of the game against Miami. Players like Sean Kilpatrick and Quincy Acy were not on the floor when Brooklyn could not score points and seemed flat. Instead, Atkinson left players like Spencer Dinwiddie on the floor and left him to take the most important shot of the game, which he missed. Coach Atkinson will need to utilize his roster more efficiently if Brooklyn wants to stand a chance. Bring in the energy guy when energy is needed. Bring in the scorer when points are needed.
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Players to Watch
Brooklyn: Caris LeVert
Caris LeVert is the player to watch for Brooklyn. Getting 26 minutes against the Heat, including crunch time minutes, it is clear he is moving up in the rotation. Look for the rookie to get some solid minutes in this game as well. Also, LeVert straight up crossed up Wayne Ellington Wednesday night, dropping him to the floor while nailing a three. He is a lot of fun to watch, and his minutes increase could mean starter status sooner than later.
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Cleveland: LeBron James
LeBron James, naturally. King James is electric and a lot of fun to watch. He can decimate the Nets in this one as he is probably pretty angry and will want to try and take over in order to get the win. James is always fun to watch when he gets angry and takes over a game. Will he be able to back up all of his talk of the team being top-heavy with a good performance of his own offensively and defensively? He will be the most important person on the floor without a doubt.
Jan 6, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) shoots over Brooklyn Nets guard Bojan Bogdanovic (44) during the third quarter at Barclays Center. Cleveland Cavaliers won 116-108. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
Projected Starters
Brooklyn:
Cleveland:
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Injuries
Brooklyn:
Cleveland:
Key Matchup
Sean Kilpatrick versus Iman Shumpert is the key matchup. We all know what James and Irving can and will do, but the shooting guard is more up in the air. Shumpert could score a good amount of points as he is lethal behind the arc, but he could also produce a dud. Kilpatrick, not as lethal of a three-point shooter, can also score a lot of points, or will produce nothing. The battle of the shooting guards will surely be interesting because no one really knows what they will get from either side.
The game will be broadcast on the YES Network and streaming on Fox Sports Go at 7:30PM EST. Join the conversation on Twitter by tweeting @NetsBlogFS
