Jan 29, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; Golden State Warriors point guard Jarrett Jack (2), power forward David Lee (10) and shooting guard Klay Thompson (11) celebrate in the third quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

On a night that the Golden State Warriors were without four of their best players, the Cleveland Cavaliers simply fell flat. With Kyrie Irving only scoring 14 points and three Warriors scoring 20-plus points, the Cavaliers simply had no answer for the Warriors – even as they were without Stephen Curry, Carl Landry Andrew Bogut and Harrison Barnes.

Combined, the four Warriors who missed Tuesday night’s game averaged 49.1 points. That is a whopping 47.8 percent of their offensive output. That, combined with the Cavaliers playing arguably their best basketball of the season over their last three games, appeared to make this a winnable game for the Wine and Gold. As the final score indicates, that was not the case.

To dig deeper into this, let’s take a look some key statistics from tonight’s game:

1. Kyrie Irving’s stat line – 36 minuets, 5-of-17 shooting from the field, 14 points, four assists. Over his last 10 games, Irving has averaged 26.2 points, 5.4 assists and shot 50.8 percent from the field, all in 35.4 minutes per game. That dropoff alone made tonight’s game an uphill battle.

2. Golden State shot 68.8 percent behind the arc, as well as 53.6 percent from the field as a whole. The Cavaliers shot 22.2 percent from behind the arc and 42.9 percent from the field. It’s pretty obvious to say, but you can’t win a basketball game shooting that low under 50 percent.

3. Oddly enough, the Cavaliers committed three less turnovers than the Warriors. But as you look deeper, the Cavaliers only scored 11 points off turnovers, while the Warriors scored 14. This game was not close, but if it was, that is something the Cavaliers would have failed to take advantage of.

4. In the second quarter, the Cleveland was outscored 32-21. In the other three quarters combined, the Cavaliers were only down two points. In fact, they outscored the Warriors 27-24 in the final frame. Outside of the second frame, this was a close game. As we know, you have to play a full 48 minutes in order to win. The Cavaliers certainly did not do that tonight.

5. Klay Thompson was 6-of-8 from deep tonight, while the Cavaliers C.J. Miles was only 2-of-8. Miles’ 25 percent clip tonight was 12.6 percent below his season average, while Thompson shot 36.9 percent above his season average. If those outlier stats come back to their normal levels, maybe this game is a little closer.

6. Only four players on the Cavaliers roster shot above 50 percent from the field tonight. Those three players – Shaun Livingston, Tyler Zeller, Marresse Speights and Tristan Thompson – shot a combined 21-of-36 from the field, good for 58.3 percent. Combined, the rest of the Cavaliers roster shot 15-of-48 from the field, good for 31.3 percent.

7. The Cavaliers starting backcourt, consisting of Irving and Dion Waiters, shot 11-of-30 from the field tonight. The Warriors starting backcourt, consisting of Thompson and Jarret Jack, made 24 of 42 shots.

Even on a night like tonight, there were some highlights for the Cavaliers. Waiters made a nice running block on Richard Jefferson in the third, Irving went coast-to-coast for a layup in the second and Thompson threw down a vicious dunk in the second as well.  But as a whole, the Wine and Gold could not make a bucket to save their lives tonight, which ultimately lead to their downfall.

The Cavaliers next play in Auburn Hills, Michigan against the Detroit Pistons on Friday. Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m.

November 7, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Tristan Thompson (13) drives to the basket against Golden State Warriors shooting guard Stephen Curry (30) during the fourth quarter at ORACLE Arena. The Warriors defeated the Cavaliers 106-96. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

We may be missing out on yet another Kyrie Irving-elite point guard matchup. Disagree with me if you will, but Stephen Curry can compete with the premier point guards in the NBA and he deserved a trip to Houston for the All-Star Game for his efforts this season. Curry has only missed two games for the Golden State Warriors (27-12, 13-11 away) this season, and he will not play on Tuesday due to a mild ankle sprain – along with his oft-injured teammate Andrew Bogut, who returned momentarily on Monday and rookie Harrison Barnes. Bogut, who has only played five games for the Warriors after being traded halfway through the 2011-12 season, is taking his return from a left ankle injury very cautiously and will sit out Tuesday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers (13-32, 6-12 home). Kyrie Irving, who was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week on Monday, is questionable as well due to a sickness. Luke Walton (foot) is also on the list of questionables and Daniel Gibson is out with a toe injury. See when and where you can watch the game below:

Opponent’s Blog: Blue Man Hoop

Venue: Quicken Loans Arena – Cleveland, OH

Tipoff: Tuesday, January 29 at 7 p.m.

Betting Line: Warriors by -2

Where you can watch: Fox Sports Ohio

Where you can listen: WTAM (110AM), WFUN (970AM)

The Warriors are a team that the Cavaliers should look up to. The season after the Warriors selected Curry, the team went 26-56 and didn’t look like they were going anywhere anytime soon. Last season Mark Jackson came aboard, but ankle injuries kept their star player off the court for 60.6 percent of the season. Golden State limped to a mark of 23-43, but hopes were still high after Andrew Bogut was brought in halfway through the lost season. The team hasn’t seen the potential of the former Milwaukee big man due to injury problems of his own, but with a fifth place ranking in the Western Conference playoff chase, his veteran leadership could push the Warriors through the final stretch of the season.

Even though Golden State will be without Curry tonight, the young backcourt consisting of the former Davidson standout and Klay Thompson accounts for 35.8 percent of the team’s scoring this season. They are currently the NBA’s top-scoring backcourt tandem. With that said, Cleveland’s main problems with the Warriors won’t be with containing journeyman Jarrett Jack and Thompson, but will stem from All-Star David Lee. The Golden State power forward should have been a starter – plain and simple. He has quietly put together one of the most impressive NBA seasons out of any player to take the court. Lee is currently averaging 19.6 points and 10.8 rebounds, while shooting 51.6 percent from the field and 80.3 percent from the free throw line. Tristan Thompson has had his fair share of difficult dual-threat assignments this season, but Lee poses a challenge that the sophomore big man has yet to face this season. Most people bashed Lee for having high numbers on below-average teams, but now he has proven that he can be a leader both on the floor and in the huddle.

The thing about the Warriors is that they have been a fairly consistent team this season. They have only had four losing streaks of two or three games in their most impressive season since 1991-92 – a team that boasted Chris Mullin and Tim Hardaway and finished second in the West before ducking out in the first round of the playoffs. The Cavaliers, on the other hand, are in the process of learning how to play like a team. There were many instances last week in which I saw things clicking between a young and entangled squad. After seeing Tyler Zeller run the floor for an easy basket late in the game against Boston and Marreese Speights chase after a rebound off of an Irving miss in Toronto, I was surprised and pleased at the same time. If Thompson and Irving continue to be vocal leaders on the court, then there’s no reason why this team can’t continue their winning ways.

I will give a quick synopsis of each team’s roster, some of their statistics from last year and why I think they will finish in the position that I predicted. Agree or disagree, stay tuned to RDE to see where your team lands in the 2012 Offseason Team Rankings.

Feb. 22, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) against the Phoenix Suns at the US Airways Center. The Warriors defeated the Suns 106 – 104. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-US PRESSWIRE.

No. 10 – Golden State Warriors (3rd in Pacific)

2011-12 season: 23-43 (.348), 4th place in Pacific Division (7-8)

Offensive Efficiency: 103.1 (11^th)

Defensive Efficiency: 106.0 (26^th)

2012-13 roster:

F – Harrison Barnes

G – Kent Bazemore

F-C – Andris Biedrins

C – Andrew Bogut

G – Stephen Curry

C – Festus Ezeli

F – Draymond Green

G – Jarrett Jack

F – Richard Jefferson

G – Charles Jenkins

F – Carl Landry

F-C – David Lee

G – Brandon Rush

G – Klay Thompson

C – Jeremy Tyler

Compared to last year’s draft, the Warriors made some great improvements in an area that hurt them last season. That area would be defense, and starting with last season, the Bucks were looking to pick up strong, tough players. They traded away Monta Ellis in exchange for the injured Andrew Bogut, who will be a great help in the rebounding department. The Warriors ranked 28^th in the Association in rebounding, with David Lee leading the way with averaging 9.6 boards. With Bogut healthy, Lee will be able to fall back and play the four instead of being the nontraditional center for the Warriors. This upgrade may be enough to push the Warriors into contention, but the Western Conference is just too competitive and veteran-led for Golden State to make a move this season. Mainly due to injury concerns.

Their star player point guard Stephen Curry only played in 26 games all of last season. He was fighting ankle problems all of last season, and quite possibly could have been the piece in the Milwaukee-Golden State trade in the place of Monta Ellis. The Warriors decided that Curry was more important in the development of their team, as he is the team’s top passer and premier play maker. He is great with the ball, and averaged 2.6 turnovers last season. For someone is is touching the ball the majority of the game, it’s a pretty acceptable number. He led the team in steals as well, averaging 1.5 takeaways. All of that may seem impressive, but what I like most about Curry is his potency as a shooter. He boasts shooting percentages of 47.3 percent from the field, 44/1 percent from three and 90.1 percent from the free throw line. Curry’s health is extremely important to the success of the team this season.

I don’t think that the Warriors will make the playoffs this season, but it is in the near future. The West is too experienced for the Warriors to compete just yet. Draft picks Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green and Festus Ezeli will be of some help this season. Barnes could be a potential starter at small forward, however, it seems unlikely at this point. Green was a steal in my opinion and Ezeli might show his use this season in backing up Bogut. They will all help the Warriors’ bench situation this season.