Denver Nuggets (4-3) vs
Cleveland Cavaliers (6-2)
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH
Thursday, November 13, 2008
8:00 PM EST
TNT/WTAM AM/1100 
Denver is 3-0 since acquiring former Piston Chanucey Billups. This Nuggets team looks completely different than it did at this point last year, but then again so does this Cavaliers squad. Regardless of what’s happened to this point, the world will be watching tonight as Charles Barkley and crew welcome the Cavs and Nuggets to the stage.
Projected Starting Lineups
Denver Nuggets
G: Chauncey Billups (14.4 ppg, 6.6 apg, 2.2 spg, 18.00 PER)
G: J.R. Smith (10.6 ppg, 2.1 apg, 4.1 rpg, 18.28 PER)
F: Carmelo Anthony (23.6 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 4.4 apg, 16.52 PER)
F: Kenyon Martin (13.6 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 1.2 bpg, 14.77 PER)
C: Nené (15.6 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 2.0 bpg, 20.28 PER)
Cleveland Cavaliers
G: Mo Williams (14.4 ppg, 4.9 apg, 1.1 spg, 12.38 PER)
G: Delonte West (10.3 ppg, 2.4 apg, 3.5 rpg, 13.75 PER)
F: LeBron James (28.1 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 7.0 apg, 34.01 PER)
F: Ben Wallace (1.9 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1.5 bpg, 12.00 PER)
C: Zydrunas Ilgauskas (15.5 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1.6 bpg, 23.50 PER)
Game Notes
I know that Denver is only a game over .500, and are going through a transition period and all; but one has to believe that this is one of the better teams that the Cavaliers have faced since beating Dallas a little over a week ago. Of course, J.R. Smith is suffering from Allen Iverson withdrawal and Kenyon Martin is coming off of a wrist injury, so you never know what Nuggets team we’ll see.
What is crazy is how much luster the whole LeBron/Melo deal has lost over the years. It’s obvious who the better player is here, much to the chagrin of media types. But as much as I would love to see LeBron drop another 41 on national television, we need to see this team win collectively. Anderson Varejao and Z may have their hands full tonight as Martin and Nene are considerably stronger down low than, say… Troy Murphy and Jeff Foster from a few nights back. But what I do like is that the defense (or lack of) from the Denver back court should allow for some serious running from West and Williams.
I know that Denver has won eight of the last 10 matchups since the LeBron/Melo draft. But if any game is going to start to turn that tide, it is going to have to be this one.
And if there is one thing that we need to prove, it’s that our Brazilian is
waybetter than their Brazilian. As long as ours doesn’t feel like he needs to be paid Nené-type money…
Go Cavs.
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