Red Hot Spurs Take on Cleveland Monday Night

The San Antonio Spurs are making their move. It’s almost expected as every year they make a last season run that propels them into the playoffs with momentum. They are currently on a 4 game win streak that has seen them beat Phoenix, New Orleans (twice) and Memphis. They will need to be at their best Monday when they take on a Cleveland Cavaliers team that is fighting for home court advantage throughout the playoffs.

Cleveland has a 2.5 game lead over the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers, and 3 more home games to play than the Lakers down the home stretch. The Cavs haven’t missed a beat with Shaquille O’Neal being out as they have won 9 out of 10. LeBron James has been a beast all season, and has legitimized himself as the best player in the league at the age of 25. There is no team in the league that revolves more around one player than Cleveland. James sat out Saturday against the Bucks due to a “coach’s decision”, and Milwaukee won 92-85. There is definitely some talent on this Cleveland team, but not nearly as much as many other teams in the league. Even Kobe Bryant has a above average supporting cast that can handle business when he’s not able to play. We saw this last month when Bryant sat out 6 games because of an ankle injury. The Lakers went 5-1 with him on the bench. The Cavs don’t have that luxury. Without LeBron, they are an average team that would most likely not even make the playoffs.

San Antonio has been bit by the injury bug again this year. Tony Parker has missed several games this season, and Manu Ginobili still doesn’t look to be himself after coming back from a major injury. Many experts feel as though the Spurs window for success is closed due to their age, but they still believe that have the players to make a run at another championship.

Tim Duncan may not be the same player he was 10 years ago, but he’s still averaging 19 points and almost 11 boards per game. Defensively he has lost a step, but he’s so fundamentally sound that he can get away with it. Parker, Ginobili and Jefferson are contributing 43 points per game, while 2nd year point guard George Hill has stepped up his game and is averaging almost 12 points per game.

This should be a hard fought defensive battle as both teams are in desperate need of a win for different reasons. The Spurs currently sit as the 6th seed in the Western conference playoff race, and will need to have a strong finish if they hope to overtake Oklahoma City for the 5th spot. LeBron and the Cavs know how important it is to retain home court advantage throughout the playoffs. The Lakers are a tough enough team to beat at home, and having to play 4 games in Staples Center would be a tough task to overcome. Tune in Monday night as the Spurs and Cavaliers face off in what may be a decisive game for each team in regards to the playoffs.

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