Game Thread: Utah Jazz @ Cleveland Cavaliers -- The Trey Burke "Hometown" Game

February Game Streams -- Fear The Sword -- Jazz vs Cavaliers coverage

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Trey Burke is playing at home for the first time as an NBA player. Well, he's not playing at home as Columbus doesn't have an NBA team -- but this is as close as it gets. Sure, when he played against the Detroit Pistons it was a very friendly environment as there were lots of University of Michigan well wishers around, but that wasn't his home state. He was in Michigan for two years. He was in Ohio for almost his entire life. And tonight the Utah Jazz point guard will face off against the state's team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and try to give his fans there something to smile about.

Earlier this year the Cavs beat the Jazz in Utah. Tonight, theoretically, is payback time. I don't know how likely it is that he out plays All-Star guard Kyrie Irving, but he'll try. Trey is always up for a challenge. And tonight will be one.

Presumed Starters:

1. Trey Burke vs. Kyrie Irving
2. Gordon Hayward vs. Jarrett Jack
3. Richard Jefferson vs. Luol Deng
4. Marvin Williams vs. Tristan Thompson
5. Derrick Favors vs. Spencer Hawes

There are mismatches there if the coaches, Tyrone Corbin and Mike Brown, want to deviate from their *flawless* offensive gameplans. The Cavs are super-duper injured at the SG spot (no C.J. Miles, Dion Waiters, or Carrick Felix), and the 6'8 G-Time should be posted upon Jack. He won't be, because I know Corb isn't going to do anything. Adjustments are for quitters. Or something. For the Cavs I'm sure Deng and Thompson can take the opposing guys in the paint. But when you have Irving on your team you probably don't NEED to change your game plan. He's capable of winning a game by himself. (He's like John Wall in that regard.)

The Bench is where our talents will shine tonight. They don't have anyone who can match up with Alec Burks right now, and our crew of Enes Kanter and Jeremy Evans should be more than capable of holding their own against the likes of Anthony Bennett and Tyler Zeller.

If I was ranking trends here, I'd say the Cavs are a bit higher, with a better last 10 games record, and coming off of a huge win against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Jazz have won their last 2 games, but they were home games against really injured teams. This is, well, a road game against a really injured team. Clearly everything changes now? Right?

I don't know. I do know that this is Trey's hometown game, and I hope that all the Burkeses out there have a great time.