Game #5 Preview: Bobcats at Cavaliers

How this wasn't voted for NBATV's Fan Night Game of The Week is beyond me. Who wouldn't want to watch two lottery bound teams battle it out? Neither team really knows what they are doing. They've got some talented rookies, they've got some crappy veterans, they've got no identity. Personally, I can't wait.

Song Of The Day: Bad - Michael Jackson

I expect this game to be a wonderful display of bad basketball.

Tonight's Overview:

Charlotte Bobcats (1-3) at Cleveland Cavaliers (2-2)

What do you need to know about the Bobcats? To answer that question, I'll defer to my good friend Ben Swanson over at Rufus on Fire.

"The Bobcats are a hot cold mess. Their interior defense has been shredded by Dwight Howard and Chris Bosh. In the past two games combined, the team is shooting 37.1% from the field. Once the focal point of the Bobcats' offense in nearly all facets, Boris Diaw has shrunk in effectiveness, recording five points on four FGA to go with two rebounds, three assists and two turnovers. Kemba Walker's shot has been hot and (mostly) cold..."

Sounds good, huh?

To be fair, the Cavaliers aren't all that much better. We are also obviously relying on two first round picks to play significant minutes in the rotation. Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson are obviously the reason most people are interested in the Cavaliers. While some of us diehards are anxiously watching Alonzo Gee and Omri Casspi battle it out for who's the more mediocre small forward, most people don't care all that much.

This will likely be a crappy game, but as always, I'll be watching diligently. I want to see the Cavs try to pound it inside with Samardo Samuels and Tigger Thompson. I don't think there's really anyone on the 'Cats that can check either of those guys. They should feast on both the offensive and defensive boards. Anderson Varejao will likely grab 10+ rebounds again. Maybe the good version of Antawn Jamison will show up tonight. Maybe the god-awful version will show up. The only way to know is to watch the game (or see if my head explodes). Watching Boris Diaw and Jamison square off against one another ought to be comic gold. It's gonna be fun.

Key Matchup

Kyrie Irving vs. Kemba Walker

Duh. What'd you expect? Any non-Bobcats or Cavs fan watching this game is tuning in purely to see the two rookie point guards face off. Kemba had the illustrious college career that ended with a national championship. Irving played just 11 games at Duke. Kemba is perhaps a more prolific scorer, while Irving is a more prototypical point guard. We'll get to see the two contrasting styles of play go up against each other and see how the two rooks look so far in this young season.

Fear The Sword's Fearless Prediction:

Dare I predict another win for the Cavs? The Bobcats aren't very good, but they did give the Miami Heat a close game. Ultimately, I think the Cavaliers will outplay Charlotte and end up with a hard fought 102-100 victory. Kyrie Irving hits the game winner over Kemba Walker. Boom.