| 2009/2010 NBA Regular Season | ||
|---|---|---|
 | VS |  |
| 30-48 | 61-18 | |
| April 9, 2010 | ||
| Quicken Loans Arena | ||
| 7:30PM et | ||
| Radio - WTAM 1100 / FSOhio | ||
| Probable starters: | ||
| Earl Watson | PG | Mo Williams |
| Brandon Rush | SG | Anthony Parker |
| Danny Granger | SF | LeBron James |
| Troy Murphy | PF | Antawn Jamison |
| Roy Hibbert | C | J.J. Hickson |
The worst part of the season, at least for me. No one knows who will be playing, who won;t be playing and yes, of course, the constant concern about injury - see Antawn Jamison. Tonight, the Cavaliers continue to try and finish the season in one piece at home against the Pacers at The Q. With 3 games left before the playoffs start, Cleveland has little more to prove or accomplish than to get to next weekend with as few bumps and bruises as possible....
3-in the Key
1. Cleveland owns the NBA's best overall record at 61-18 (.772), best home record at 35-4 (.897) and best road record (26-14, .650). The Cavaliers are the first team since the Chicago Bulls (1995-96 and 1996-97) and only the fifth team in the last 19 seasons to finish with sole possession of the best regular season record in consecutive years. The team has won 60-games for the second time in franchise history and became only the ninth different franchise (done 18 times) in NBA history to have back-to-back 60 win seasons. Cleveland can continue make NBA history by 1.) holding the best home and road record in a season and 2.) holding sole possession of the best home record in consecutive seasons. Cleveland has won 18 of their last 22 games and are 35-10 (.778) in 2010, which is the best mark in the NBA in that span.
2. Entering tonight's game, the Cleveland will look to win its 12th straight game at home, which would be the longest home winning streak of the season. The Cavs have won 11 straight and 33 of their last 35 home games and in that span, are averaging 104.7 points on .506 shooting while holding their opponents to just 94.5 points on .438 shooting. The team has now had three 11-game winning streaks at The Q this season (Nov. 14-Dec. 30, Jan. 6-Feb. 11, Feb. 23-Apr. 6). The last team to have three separate double-digit winning streaks at home in one season was the Utah Jazz during the 1996-97 season. Since the start of the 2008-09 season, the Cavaliers are an NBA-best 74-6 (.924) at home, and since the 2005-06 season, the Cavaliers are 162-41 (.798) at home, which is tied with Dallas (163-41, .799 / 27-13 this year) for the least amount of losses at home in the last five seasons.
3. Entering tonight's game versus Indiana, the Cavs have defeated the Pacers 10 consecutive times at The Q. Indiana is one of NBA's hottest teams, going 8-2 in their last 10 games, but Cleveland will be going for the season series sweep for the second time (2007-08) in the last three seasons. This season, the Cavs have jumped out to big leads in the first quarter, outscoring the Pacers 34.7-27.0 on average in the opening period. The team has shot .600 from the field and .667 from behind the arc in the first quarter of those games with the Pacers this season. Since the start of the 2008-09 season, the Cavs are 71-8 (.899) against teams under .500, which is the highest such percentage in the NBA, and have won 30 of their last 31 games versus such teams.