In the final home game of the season, Sixers management will honor the 1982-83 championship team, rolling out Dr. J, Moses Malone, and numerous other members of that roster. The event should provide a welcome distraction to the disappointment of the 2012-13 season. On the court, the Sixers will take on a Cavaliers team they defeated 97-87 two weeks ago. However, Cleveland was without all-star point guard Kyrie Irving, as well as rookie guard Dion Waiters, in that contest; both will be in uniform for the Cavaliers in this one.
Irving has seemingly made the leap to elite player in his sophomore season, ranking 16th in the NBA in PER. In between a couple injury stints this year, Irving has averaged 22.9 points on 45.6% shooting (including 40.2% from three), and 5.9 assists per game. During the all-star game, Irving was part of the Eastern conference’s crunch-time line-up, which shows the esteem the league currently holds for him. I also hear his Uncle Drew is a heck of a player. The Cavaliers have a bright future with he and Waiters apparently having the backcourt situation locked down going forward. After Waiters struggled with his efficiency early on, he improved to 16.5 ppg on 46.5% shooting in 13 games following the all-star break.
Evan Turner has played very well in three games against the Cavs this season, averaging 18.0 points on 52.4% shooting, 9.7 rebounds, and 6.7 assists. Cleveland fouls its opponents more than almost any team in the league, in addition to having the second-least amount of blocks. Those defensive lapses play perfectly into Turner’s reckless, attack the basket offensive game. The Cavaliers are the ideal opponent for Turner to bounce back from his 0-11 performance against Washington.
Keys to the Game:
- Force the ball out of Irving’s hands whenever possible and make Waiters run the offense. Waiters has improved as a scorer but his distribution game is still very much a work in progress. The easiest way to lose to Cleveland would be to let Kyrie Irving dictate the flow of the game. Take a page out of other teams’ playbooks and double Irving well past the three point line, much like the opposition has done to Jrue Holiday all season.
- Use the energy of the crowd to your advantage. There should be a larger than usual crowd on hand given the halftime ceremony and the conclusion to the home schedule. Start the game with some fire and the audience should help the Sixers rise to the occasion against a Cleveland team looking for the season to end just as much as the Sixers are.
Prediction:
It’s the final home game of the season and NBA hall of famers will be in attendance at the Wells Fargo Center. Those factors should be more than enough motivation for the Sixers to come out with their best effort. A balanced Sixers attack overcomes Kyrie Irving and the rest of the Cavaliers as Philadelphia ends the home schedule on a good note.
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