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Cleveland begins the Group Play round of the Emirates NBA Cup with a marquee matchup against the best team in the league, the Philadelphia 76ers. This will be their second of three matchups this season.
The first one was the Cavs’ season opener, where they blew a 29-point lead in Philly, losing 114-106.
The Cavaliers are 4-4, coming off back-to-back losses against Oklahoma City. Unfortunately for them, they hit the injury bug, with many players now questionable for Friday’s game. Philadelphia has the top record in basketball, with only one loss through nine games.
The star-studded 76ers have looked better than most expected at this point of the season. With the big-name additions of Jaylen Brown and LeBron James, combined with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, there were lots of questions about how these stars would mesh together. How would they defend, move the ball, etc.?
Well, so far, they have meshed together beautifully. Everyone in the starting lineup has been comfortable in their role. Maxey has led the 76ers in scoring at 28.0 points per game. He is the main player for Philadelphia who has the ability to score in any facet of their offense — the half-court, pick-and-roll, off-ball, transition — Maxey can get buckets in any way.
For Brown and Embiid, their scoring has been more of a function of their half-court offense. To start games, Philly runs a lot of offense through Embiid in the post, and that has led to Brown getting open on cuts to the elbow and restricted area. Both of them are giving Philadelphia about 20 points per game.
41-year-old LeBron James has been the perfect utility player for the 76ers, putting up 15.7 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.4 assists. He has looked terrific at times, although his jump shot has deserted him, shooting just 26% from three and 64% at the free-throw line. But his main role is to fill any gaps that Philadelphia has in their lineups, and so far, he has done that very well as a playmaker.
For me, the 76ers’ defense has stood out tremendously. They have the second-best rating in the entire NBA on that end, which is incredible. Again, only nine games in, but Philly has gotten buy-in and commitment from their stars and role players to play really hard on that end, and that has allowed them to get separation in close games.
Their other additions, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and former Cavalier Dean Wade, have done a good job on defense, particularly Wade. As was the case in his career for Cleveland, the numbers are never going to jump off the page for Wade, but his perimeter defense has been very strong and much needed.
Second-year guard VJ Edgecombe is still finding his way in the starting lineup, but I love how he has simplified his game. Edgecombe is a terrific athlete, and for most players, that will jump off the page in transition with lots of dunks and finishes. But the 21-year-old has used his athleticism to become one of the best rebounding guards in the association, averaging 7.0 boards a game.
For the Cavs, this begins a huge weekend back-to-back. With a 4-4 start and losses to OKC and Philly already under their belt, fans are already panicking a bit about their play. In a primetime matchup where LeBron is back in town, owner Dan Gilbert may be in attendance, and so much more, Cleveland could really use this night as a statement victory.
It is going to be a tough task for the home club, made more difficult by their injuries. They have been missing basically all of their wings for the last week or so, including neither Peyton Watson nor Jaylon Tyson. In OKC, they faced injuries to Jarrett Allen and Tyrese Proctor, which could cost them appearances in the lineup on Friday.
Look for Donovan Mitchell to be uber-aggressive in this big game. He needs to play like the best player on the floor in order for the Cavs to have a chance. Evan Mobley will need to stay out of foul trouble against Joel Embiid, especially if Allen is unavailable. Guys like Thomas Bryant, Mario Hezonja and Tristan Enaruna may also have to take on the challenge of Embiid with all of their injuries.
If the Cavaliers are missing Allen and their wings on Friday, I would think it’s a done deal that Kenny Atkinson goes with Mario Hezonja at the four, I have loved what he has brought to the table this season. At small forward, I would expect Sam Merrill, someone with lots of experience in big games. But rookie guard Meleek Thomas has shown no fear in his young career.
Either way, this will be a fun atmosphere in Cleveland, and I am very curious to see the reception that Cavs fans give LeBron James (and also Dean Wade).
Philadelphia 76ers
Cleveland Cavaliers
Philadelphia 76ers - Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown, LeBron James, Joel Embiid
Cleveland Cavaliers - James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Sam Merrill, Mario Hezonja, Evan Mobley
Philadelphia 76ers - TBA
Cleveland Cavaliers - TBA
Jerseys
Philadelphia 76ers - Association (White)
Cleveland Cavaliers - Statement (Black)
Date: Friday, Nov. 6
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Rocket Arena, Cleveland
TV: Prime Video
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