In-game updates from Dallas as the Cavaliers take on the Mavericks in a preseason game.
Daniel Gibson has gotten plenty of praise from Cavaliers head coach Byron Scott during training camp and the first week of preseason games.DALLAS, Texas -- It's not a revelation, but size does matter in the NBA, and the Cavs are heading into the season undersized.
Perhaps it's more obvious after losing Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Shaquille O'Neal, but trying to match up against a team like Dallas or Boston is going to be problematic. Ryan Hollins is 7-0 and Anderson Varejao is 6-11. But Dallas starts two players over 7-0 (Dirk Nowitzki and Brendan Haywood) and can bring two more off the bench (Tyson Chandler and Alexis Ajinca.)
Byron Scott can't really go big, so he'll have to hope that small and aggressive will work on most nights. It did OK in the 85-79 victory over the Mavericks, but neither team was exactly playing its top talents down the stretch.
Cavs 62, Mavericks 62 after third quarter: Neither team could hit a shot in the period. The Cavs making just 3 of their first 15 and the Mavericks 6 of their first 15.
Ugh.
What's becoming obvious is the Cavs are going to be at a disadvantage size-wise most of this season, so they're going to have to make up for that with smart play and lots of help defense.
Mavericks 46, Cavs 45 at halftime: Manny Harris made a big impression with 14 points in the Cavs victory at Houston on Sunday night, playing mostly in the fourth quarter. He moved up in coach Byron Scott's rotation and put up nine points in the second quarter, when he also had two steals.
Cavs 28, Mavericks 25 after first quarter: With both coaches continuing to experiment with their starting lineups, the new young Cavs did well to stay with the star-laden Mavericks.
As they have much of this preseason, Daniel Gibson and J.J. Hickson led the Cavs with 10 and 9 points, respectively. But key stat was holding the Mavericks to 36.4 percent shooting (8 of 22).
Jason Kidd had six points and two assists for Dallas.
At the tipoff: As predicted, Dallas coach Rick Carlisle changed his starters to include rookie guard Dominique Jones and center Tyson Chandler instead of Shawn Marion and Brendan Haywood and moved Caron Butler from guard to forward.
Cavs starters: F J.J. Hickson, F Jamario Moon, C Ryan Hollins, G Daniel Gibson, G Anthony Parker
Dallas probable starters: F Shawn Marion, F Dirk Nowitzki, C Brendan Haywood, G Caron Butler, G Jason Kidd. (Coach Rick Carlisle has been tinkering, though, so stay tuned.)
Officials: Tony Brothers, Tony Brown, Kevin Cutler
Three things to watch
1. Post defense. The Cavs didn't face Yao Ming on Sunday in Houston, but they'll get a test with Dirk Nowitzki and Brendan Haywood tonight.
2. The small forward rotation continues, with Jamario Moon getting another start.
3. Coach Byron Scott has had more good things to say about Daniel Gibson than any other player during training camp. He gets another chance to show he should be a starter when the regular season rolls around in two weeks. Watch for updates during the game.