Houston Rockets (37-13) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (30-20), Feb. 3, 2018, 7:30 p.m. CDT
Location: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH
TV: ABC
Radio: KBME 790 AM/KEYH 850 AM (Spanish)/KNTE 101.7 FM (Spanish)/Streaming on Rockets App
Online: Rockets App
Cavaliers SBNation Blog: Fear the Sword
Big Game This Saturday, ABC and Everything - so it appears that Jeremy and I both wrote up a gamethread. Here’s some text I wrote, along with the poll you’ve come to erratically expect. -Xiane
JEREMY :
The Rockets have won 10 of their last 12 games coming into tonight as the team makes its annual visit to Cleveland to take on LeBron James and the Cavaliers.
The Cavs have been on a different trend as the team has dropped seven of their last 11 contests, and they recently learned that Kevin Love would be out for two months with a hand injury.
The injury bug is something both teams have in common as the Rockets will be without Trevor Ariza for the third straight game and Eric Gordon for his second in a row.
Tonight, however, the main event is overshadowed by James. Which one? That’s up to the game to decide. James Harden, LeBron James. That’s why this game has got the Saturday night primetime bump. The country will get the chance to see the top two MVP candidates on the same floor at the same time.
Here’s to hoping Harden takes the edge.
Check out AK’s preview before the game and join us at halftime on Facebook Live for the TDS Halftime Report.
Enjoy the game and Go Rockets!
XIANE:
A great deal of energy has been expended in the NBA sphere speculating what can be done for, to, and by the Cleveland Cavaliers. This is natural, as the Cavs have made three straight NBA Finals appearances. They have the best player of a generation in Lebron James, a constant sense of swirling drama, and at the moment, not much else.
Kevin Love possibly quashed trade speculation by breaking his hand. In any case, he’s the Cavs only other star (as I would not characterize Isaiah Thomas’ play as star level this season thus far), and he’s out at least five more weeks. Could he be traded whilst injured? I don’t see why not. But absent the inclusion of the Nets pick, appearing to be number 5-10 in a deep (but probably not as deep as 2017) draft it is hard to see who will trade for him.
So what’s left, absent the Nets pick, which a prudent Cleveland team would keep to build around absent definitive word from Lebron that he’s staying?
I don’t see too many realistic deals involving the rest of the Cavs roster. Like the Rockets, they’re all-in. The Rockets sent most of their promising, or cheap, players to Rockets JV (aka Clippy) in Los Angeles. The Cavs have made one bold move after another for several years. They’ve brought their team back (except for maybe the most important Non James player in Kyrie Irving). Most of the moves were to keep the proverbial Championship Window open. Sometimes teams simply run out of moves, and only flies come in through The Championship Window.
That said, it’s a national TV game, and I imagine Lebron and Co will be up for it. Will Lebron also audition, or be recruited, by the Rockets, for 2018-19? You never know.
Poll
Will the Cavaliers Make A Trade In The Remainder of the 2017-18 Season?
This poll is closed
-
10%
Yes. Involving Kevin Love and D’Andre Jordan.
-
10%
Yes. Involving the Nets Picks and a center.
-
8%
Yes. Involving the Nets Pick and a backcourt player.
-
10%
Yes. A King’s Ransom for Lebron James.
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18%
No.
-
8%
Other.
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34%
Mavs in Four! Go Mavs. Also, Mavs get ALL THE PICKS FOR WES MATTHEWS! ALL OF THEM.