Matchup 2.1 (present for Nick)
New York Knicks (1, H) V Cle Cavs (4, A)
Kyle Lowry V Kyrie Irving
Brandon Rush V Landry ‘Clark’ Fields
Tayshaun Prince V Luol Deng
Paul Millsap V Kris Humphries
Dwight Howard V Andrew Bynum
~Bench~
Luke Ridnour V Earl Watson
Klay Thompson V George Hill
Corey Brewer V Sam Young
Jon Brockman V Brandon Bass
Birdman V Matt Bonner
Key Matchup: Kyle Lowry V Kyrie Irving
Kyrie Irving is a heck of a young player. Very gifted scorer, not a bad passer, and a guy with as much or more potential than anyone we’ve seen since Chris Paul and Deron Williams started redefining the position. Kyle Lowry is a bit less of an enigma, but more of a well-rounded player. He’s a better defender, he’s already the best player on a team that looks to have a playoff-spot all but locked up, and his offense is finally coming along. I wouldn’t call this a wash, because I flat out think Lowry is the better player right now, and I think his defense should have a measuring effect against Irving, but since they haven’t played each other yet, I’ve got nothing but conjecture to base that on. Their TS% are about the same, with Irving shooting better from outside, and Lowry passing a little better. Slight edge Lowry.
Key Matchup: Luol Deng V Tayshaun Prince
Of course Deng is the better player right now. Sure he is. I’m not contesting that. Buuuuttt…..look at the numbers when they play each other:
23 games. They’re both clear 3’s, they play roughly the same # of minutes per game (against each other), and they both start. Tayshaun is older, but he’s looked to have aged pretty darn well when it comes to playing against Luol Deng. They score similarly, they rebound similarly, they pass similarly. Guess what? I’m calling this one A WASHHHHHH! Should be a big win for Deng, but Prince has proven he’s capable of playing Deng pretty well over the years (he’s outscored him in every one of the last 3 contests).
Key Matchup: Paul Millsap V Kris Humphries
Well now its my turn to be disappointed. While Millsap has shown that he’s able to score on just about anyone, anytime, anywhere inside the 3pt line, Kris Humphries apparently plays pretty well against Paul Millsap. Yes, they’ve only played 7 times, yes, only one of those times have come when both players are starters and playing 30 minutes or more, but Kris Humphries doesn’t play a whole lot of center, and neither does Paul Millsap. Until we see a clear trend one way or another, I have to think neither player is going to really destroy the other one here, with Millsap generally scoring a couple more points, and Humphries generally getting a couple more boards.
Key-est Match-up Part A: Dwight Howard V Andrew Bynum
Andrew Bynum is having a coming out party this season, and I don’t mean as a cheap-shot artist with questionable motor and a fragile physical makeup. No, I mean as a baller. Bynum is arguably the second best center in the NBA. There is a reason he was taken 1st in the Pick-Two draft.
And Dwight Howard owns him. Against Howard, Bynum commits 4 fouls in 20 minutes, shoots below his career averages while he’s out there, while Howard stays on the floor, and shoots his career #’s even when Bynum is out there. HUGE win for the Knicks.
Key-est Match-Up Part B: Dwight Howard V Matt Bonner
This is a massacre of epic proportions. Krstic is a viable backup center (not against Howard, but I digest..), Bonner is absolutely not. Howard will kill Bonner on defense, and he’ll switch off him when the Cavs have the ball, allowing whoever is playing the 4 to switch onto him while Howard guards one of Humphries/Bass. It’s a trainwreck.
Bench: I don’t think either bench has any super-high impact players, and I don’t think anyone on either bench doesn’t belong there, or is being asked to do more than they’re able. Both benches are populated with able players. Both teams, I feel, have well defined roles for their subs, and I see it as a wash, excepting the center situation.
How I See It Playing Out: Five, Maybe Six competitive games, ending in a Knicks win. They’ve got no answer to Howard, even though the teams 1-4 stack up very evenly.
Weighing in on this quickly; I say Knicks in 7.
Irving outplays Lowry, and I don't think that there's many people outside of the Lowry and Proceed family that'd disagree there. The kid is absolutely legit, and I see no reason to think that he'll do anything but continue to excel in the playoffs.
Rush vs Fields isn't worth analyzing.
Deng has a pretty clear advantage over Prince, though I'm sure Prince's height and alien arms will make life a little difficult for Deng. Still, sizeable advantage goes to Deng on both ends of the floor.
Milsap crushes Humprhies and that's where Cleveland loses the series. Humprhies, nor Bass is going to be able to keep up with Milsap. And the slightly slow footed Bynum won't be able to help much because he's got Howard, who obviously also has a considerable advantage.
Benches are both good, complimentary benches. Just not enough to sway me either way. This comes down to 5 on 5.