My Take: Cavs Nip Jazz

Posted by David Locke on November 17, 2007

‘Cavs Strike Back’ (Gregory Shamus - NBAE/Getty Image)

Final Score — Cavs 99 Jazz 94
Key play down the stretch - Boozer got ripped by LeBron with :15 left down two. Okur missed a tough three at the end and missed it.
For the final two minutes Booz and D-Will got all the shots and answered on all but one.
LeBron won this by himself he had 34 second half points. He finished with 40 points 10 rebounds and 9 assists. He is simply unreal.
The Jazz lost focus to open the 4th quarter and played very selfish and that cost then the game,
The Jazz lost a bunch of hustle plays tonight. Those are painful on a night when one possessions matter.
LeBron scored or assisted on every scoring play of the 4th Quarter.

6:11 4th Quarter — Jazz 79 Cavs 79
Jazz just got their first field goal of the 4th quarter at 6:11
AK is playing LBJ and playing him well.
Deron is 3 of 15 Carlos is 8 of 18 how will they finish?

7:56 4th Quarter — Cavs 76 Jazz 75
Jones back to back threes on assists from LeBron
Harpring is all over the place and missing
Jazz are not playing offense as a team right now

End of 3rd Quarter — Jazz 74 Cavs 68
Game changed when Memo hit the three’s
Cavs have nothing with LeBron on the bench
Jazz bench has outplayed the the Cavs bench
Jason Hart has been very very good. Hart is + 6 in the Quarter and +16 in the game
Harpring’s knee looks like it is bothering him
Need some room when you going against LeBron

4:28 3rd Quarter — Jazz 63 Cavs 61
Memo Memo Memo for 3 — then he did it again. Huge.
Cavs just hit the Jazz with a big surge and Memo’s three’s ended it.
LBJ has 16 of the Cavs 20 points in the Quarter and he is on fire
AK is playing great, Trying to make LeBron play some defense.
Jazz tried a little zone. LBJ split it for a dunk.

8:24 3rd Quarter — Cavs 51 Jazz 49
Saw this coming. Toot Toot It is the LeBron Train. He has scored all 12 Cavs points in the second half.
Okur looks awful
Boozer is short with the shots tonight. Something in this match-up effects him maybe it is the history or maybe it is Z’s length.

Halftime — Jazz 43 Cavs 39
Really I don’t like what I see but the Jazz are ahead so maybe I don’t get it, Interested to hear what Coach Nissalke thinks
The offensive rebounding game is non-existent against the Cavs the #1 rebounding team in the league
The Cavs are really limited beyond Z and LeBron.
I feel like LeBron is conserving energy, waiting to take over in the second half. He has taken just 7 shots.
Field Goal % - Jazz 39% Cavs 38%
Boozer leads with 12 points but on 13 shots
Gooden leads the Cavs with 11 points.

6:16 2nd Quarter — Jazz 32 Cavs 27
I don’t like the Jazz energy at all right now
If I could ask for something from D-Will it would be for him to drive to the basket a bit more. He is strictly perimeter right now and he will never get to the line that way.
Jazz have guarded LeBron with GG, AK and Brewer

End of 1st Quarter — Jazz 24 Cavs 19
Amazing. Jazz miss their first 8 shots and lead at the end of 1
Jason Hart entered with the Jazz trailing 16-11. They were a +10 with Hart in the Quarter
Brewer got another steal and fast break lay-up. He does it every night.
The Cavs have so many injuries that their bench is really limited.
Brewer guarded LeBron to close the quarter, but is too short he can get a look every time.

5:07 1st Quarter — Cavs 14 Jazz 11
Jazz missed their first 8 shots of the game. They are 3 of 15
Boozer missed his first 4
Okur is much more active but his now gunning it and looks tired so they are falling short. I am not sure he is in good shape.
LeBron is creating for his teammates. AK is playing him well.
Cavs have 6 of their 7 field goals in the paint

KEY MATCH-UP
Everyone v. LeBron — His 39 points, 13 rebounds and 14 assists made him the first person to hit those numbers in a game since Wilt Chamberlain in 1968. Chamberlain had 53 points and 32 rebounds with his 14 assists.

STARTING LINE-UPS
Jazz: Deron, Ronnie, AK, Boozer and Okur
Cavs: Daniel Gibson, Sasha Pavlovic, LeBron James, Drew Gooden and Z Illgaskus

STATS — 2007-08 SEASON
Note: Efficiency Stats are based on possession. Therefore, equalizing for pace of play. Efficiency rankings are based upon 100 possessions. Example: The Jazz average 111.1 pts per 100 possessions

Pace: Jazz 96.9 possessions per game (5th in NBA) Cavs 93.9 (10th in the NBA)
Offensive Efficiency: Jazz 112.8 (3rd in NBA) Cavs 104.9 (18th in the NBA)
Defensive Efficiency: Jazz 104.4 (16th in NBA) Cavs 109.0 (24th in the NBA)
Jazz Defensive Glass: Jazz Def Reb % - 74.6% (12th in NBA) Cavs Off Reb % - 31% (6th)
Raptors Defensive Glass: Jazz Off Reb % - 30% (9th in NBA) Cavs Def Reb % -79% (1st)

Officials
Mik Challahan, Pat Fraher, Eric Malloy