The Nuggets take on the Cleveland Cavaliers on the second night of a back-to-back. The Cavs re-tooled at the trade deadline and present a lot of interesting matchups for the Denver squad.
The Cavaliers remain without Kevin Love, a proven Nugget-killer, who is sidelined with a broken hand. The younger, more athletic roster has been uneven for the Cavs since the trade(s) but as they put it together, it looks as if this team could be on the short list for the NBA championship once more.
More from Nugg Love
- Was trading Bones Hyland a mistake for the Denver Nuggets?
- Did Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets break Anthony Davis?
- Denver Nuggets stars face serious disrespect in recent NBA rankings poll
- What will it take for Denver Nuggets star to become ‘inevitable?’
- Denver Nuggets NBA Training Camp report, other preseason dates to know
Rather than delve into individual matchups, we’re going to tackle the “elephant-in-the-room” when playing the Cavaliers.
What it boils down to is: LeBron vs. the Nuggets.
Did you watch the ESPN Top-10 ? LeBron James has the 10th, fourth and third plays of the day.
Pay particular attention to number four. Tristan Thompson sets a screen for LeBron, condensing four players into LBJ’s space. LeBron dribbles behind his back, through Thompson’s legs to break through the jam, takes one dribble, goes to the rim, draws contact, gets the bucket and the foul. In one play, James not only took on four of the five Sixers, he came away with three points and one of the more unbelievable highlights of the season.
This is the quandary when playing the Cavaliers. There is always the LeBron factor. He will stay out-of-the-way and let his team compete, taking a traditional small forward role. If his team falters, however, LeBron also has the ability to take over a game. Not in a “hey, he’s heating up” kind of way, rather in a “he’s decided they’re going to win and there’s not much anyone can do about it” kind of way. At 33, he doesn’t show any signs of diminished physical ability and his mind and vision are as sharp as ever.
I grew up with the NBA in the late-80’s and 90’s. Michael Jordan will always be the G.O.A.T., to me. There’s no sense in arguing it or presenting statistics. If you saw him play, for real, not just in highlights, you’ll understand. In the era of analytics, though, there’s a mounting volume of evidence that places LeBron into his own category. He’s the only NBA player ever to have 30,000 points, 8,000 rebounds and 8,000 assists. The point is, I’ve had a lukewarm opinion of LeBron, felt like he got away with a lot early in his career but like Kobe or anyone else that overwhelms with sheer statistics, I can’t maintain any ambivalence toward LBJ. He’s great, in the conversation for greatest and he’s a good man and ambassador for the game.
So, how do the Nuggets deal with that?
Well, first, I think you press him into action early. Deny the rest of the Cavaliers and get LeBron into hero mode early. By isolating the rest of the team, you get them to stand around and watch LBJ. He can’t score 120.
Next, let your fast, loose flag fly, when the Nuggets are clicking, they can score 130, at will. Not many teams can hang with the offensive pressure the Denver squad can exert.
It’s a crap shoot, by forcing the Cavs into King James mode, you run the risk of him piling up Sports Center highlights but you also marginalize Nance, Clarkson, Smith and some of the more explosive Cavs players.
Next: Nuggets vs. Cavaliers game preview
It’s not ideal but if there’s a strategically better way to deal with King James, I’m not sure we’ve seen it.
Add us as a preferred source on Google