Nets Host Cavaliers In A Royalty Filled Barclays Center
Prince Williams and Kate Middleton will be in attendance at Barclays Center tonight as they will watch King Lebron James and his Cleveland Cavaliers take on the King of Bosnia Mirza Teletovic and his Brooklyn Nets. Seeing James in a Cavaliers jersey once again will take some getting used to, but it will be hard for the Nets to defend him and his running mates Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. The Cavaliers have had a sudden hot streak and the Nets were appearing to turn a corner before they received a wake up call at home against the scorching hot Hawks on Friday night. The Nets will be without Brook Lopez who is missing tonight’s game due to a lower back strain. Lopez will be reevaluated in a week.
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Potential Starting Lineups
Brooklyn Nets:
Point Guard: Deron Williams
Shooting Guard: Bojan Bogdanovic
Small Forward: Joe Johnson
Power Forward: Mirza Teletovic
Center: Kevin Garnett
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Point Guard: Kyrie Irving
Shooting Guard: Shawn Marion
Small Forward: Lebron James
Power Forward: Kevin Love
Center: Anderson Varejao
Lebron James Kryptonite?
Jan 10, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets power forward Mirza Teletovic (33) and Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) argue after a flagrant foul by Teletovic on James during the second half at Barclays Center. The Brooklyn Nets won the game 104-95 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Mirza Teletovic is a player that can be a lethal weapon when his jumper is falling. If you recall, Teletovic fouled James hard last season during a Nets win over the Heat and while James was shouting at Teletovic in anger, MT3 was laughing at James. In the Nets playoff series loss against the Heat last season, Teletovic shot over 60% from the field with James on the floor and 45% when James was on the bench. It’s strange but it seems that Teletovic is at his best when James is on the floor for the opposition.
Key Matchup: Deron Williams Verse Kyrie Irving
Dec. 29, 2012; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving (2) looks to pass the ball between Brooklyn Nets point guard Deron Williams (8) and center Brook Lopez (11) during the first half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports
This is a matchup between two All Star point guards who are essential parts of their respective teams. Deron Williams had a shaky past few seasons but he has looked back to his old self early on this season, he even has a Eastern Conference Player of the Week honor to support his case that he’s back. Kyrie Irving is as hard of a player to guard as you can find in the NBA. Irving has a tendency to make defenders look silly and Irving is also known as one of the most clutch players in the NBA. This battle will be a fun one to watch tonight.
X-Factor
Brooklyn Nets: Mason Plumlee
Apr 8, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Mason Plumlee (1) blocks the shot from Miami Heat forward LeBron James (6) during the second half at American Airlines Arena. The Nets won 88-87. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Mason Plumlee is best remembered for his game sealing block of Lebron James during the Nets win verse the Heat last season. Plumlee has had a slow start to this season so far, but with the absence of Brook Lopez for a week the Nets need Plumlee to be productive. If Plumlee enters the game, stays out of foul trouble and runs the floor making plays above the rim, the Nets will increase their chances of winning this game greatly. When Plumlee is catching Alley-oop’s and blocking shots it keeps the home crowd entertained and adds a whole other element to the Nets game plan.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Kevin Love
Nov 22, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) reacts during a game against the Toronto Raptors at Quicken Loans Arena. Toronto won 110-93. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Kevin Love has struggled early on to adjust to playing alongside new teammates Lebron James and Kyrie Irving. Love has lately started to adjust, but still Love can play even better when he gets more comfortable. If Love catches fire from behind the three point line and he rebounds the ball and gives Irving an outlet pass in transition which leads to an Alley-oop throw down from Lebron James, the Cavaliers will be a dominant team. If Love has a vintage game tonight the Cavaliers should have no problem beating the Nets.
Prediction: Cleveland Cavaliers 110 Brooklyn Nets 98
Lebron James loves playing under the spotlight and having royalty at Barclays Center will entice James to play with a little extra motivation. The Loss of Brook Lopez severely hurts the Nets and they will certainly miss his low post presence tonight. Unless Deron Williams and Joe Johnson go off and Mirza Teletovic, Jarrett Jack and Mason Plumlee have big games off of the bench I don’t see the Nets beating the stacked Cavaliers.
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