Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Brooklyn Nets: Deron Williams and Kyrie Irving go head to head

This team really needs to stop toying with my emotions. Kyrie Irving played against New Orleans, but then sat out against the Hawks. And somehow, the Cavs were far more competitive against Atlanta than they were against the Hornets. What do they have in store for us tonight?

Who? Cleveland Cavaliers (22-51) vs. Brooklyn Nets (42-31)

When? 7:00 PM Eastern

Where? Quicken Loans Arena -- Cleveland, OH

Where on my eyeballs? Fox Sports Ohio / NBA League Pass

Tickets? Cleveland Cavaliers tickets

Music?

The Cavaliers have lost nine games in a row. Therefore, they are free fallin'. Get it? It makes sense. Here's a fun fact for you: the Cavs haven't lost more than nine games in a row since that epic 26-game losing streak a couple years ago. A loss to the Nets tonight would obviously change that. Let's not lose.

The Nets are finishing up a long road trip as they gear up for the playoffs. This is normally where I would disrespect the Nets in order to anger a bunch of Brooklyn fans. But I don't feel the need to do that. The Cavaliers are very bad and we're not really in much of a position to be making fun of a team that is going to the playoffs. Furthermore, I'm not sure that any Nets fans actually think that they are going to do much of anything in the playoffs. So there's no need for me to hate on them.

Instead, I'll compliment Brook Lopez. He's pretty good. He's also pretty tall. It's going to be another test for Tyler Zeller. I know that David Zavac has been planning on writing about Zeller's development. He's definitely shown signs of improvement (Tyler, not David) and has really been thrown into the fire this year. It hasn't been the smoothest of rookie seasons: he broke his face and ended up in the hospital with the flu. But he's still going up against opponents' biggest and strongest players every night. He's still not *good* on either side of the ball, but he's getting better. Lopez is one of the best offensive centers in the league, so let's see if Zeller can hold his own tonight.

I'm a big fan of watching Kyrie Irving and Deron Williams play basketball against each other. I don't really have any analysis to add to this, except that I assume Kyrie's minutes will still be limited. But it should be a fun matchup regardless.

A Nets fan on Twitter last night suggested that the Cavs trade 2 first round picks to the Nets for Gerald Wallace. I thought that was hilarious.

@thebettercstone @fearthesword @ggjanis the cavs should get a small forward, maybe well trade you guys gerald wallace for 2 first rounders?

— Josh (@JStudjstruver) April 3, 2013

Reggie Evans is a fantastic rebounder, but also an incredibly annoying player to watch if he's going against your team. He flops a ton and has weird teeth (expert analysis, I know). But he's still a pain to match up against. We'll see how Tristan Thompson does on the boards against Evans.

Oh and apparently it's Moondog Night at the Q. That's significant, I guess.

Fear the Sword's Fearless Prediction

UPSET CITY. The Cavs snap their 9-game losing streak with a thrilling 108-104 win against the Nets. Or something.