Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Indiana Pacers

Place: Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN.
Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
TV/Radio: WUAB Ch. 43/WTAM 1100 AM

Projected Cavaliers Starting Lineup:

PG: LeBron James
SG: Ricky Davis
SF: Darius Miles
PF: Carlos Boozer
C:  Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Cavaliers Injury Report: SF Ira Newble (right knee patella tendinitis), C Bruno Sundov (right Achilles tendinitis) and SG Dajuan Wagner (right knee surgery) are all on the injured list.

Projected Pacers Starting Lineup:

PG: Kenny Anderson
SG: Reggie Miller
SF: Ron Artest
PF: Jermaine O'Neal
C:  Jeff Foster

Pacers Injury Report: F Jonathan Bender (left knee surgery), PG Jamison Brewer (sprained toe on right foot) and SF James Jones (strained left hamstring) on the injured list.

Key Matchups:

Carlos Boozer vs. Jermaine O'Neal - O'Neal is the Pacers franchise player and prototype for the new NBA PF with him being 6'11, long, athletic and skilled.  He is on the absolute cusp of being one of the elite superstar PFs in the NBA.  O'Neal has torched the Cavaliers in the past with an array of moves including jump hooks, turnaround jumpers, face up jumpers and he will also go around slower defenders off the dribble on occasion.  Not just a scorer O'Neal will also rebound to the tune of about ten per game as well as challenge and block shots.  Carlos Boozer for all his toughness and effort has problems with bigger more athletic PFs.  After facing Amare Stoudemire, Zach Randolph and Nene in succession it goes up a notch against O'Neal.  Boozer has got to beat O'Neal to his spot and make him a jump shooter.  O'Neal can just go over Boozer so positioning will be very important.  On the other end of the court Boozer has to be active on the offensive glass when O'Neal goes to challenge shots and help defensively.

The Bench vs. Al Harrington - The Cavaliers' bench is coming off probably their best showing of the season against Denver.  PF Chris Mihm confirmed that he is indeed still alive and was very solid during his time on the floor.  PG Kevin Ollie saw his first extended minutes of the season and was very effective.  SG JR Bremer was off again showing the same streakiness he displayed as a Celtic.  This group is at their best when Bremer is making shots and spreading the floor.  The pressure is on him every night.  The bench must find a way to remain aggressive and at the very least maintain the production from the Nuggets game.  Defensively, they have been hurt by scoring guards in Jeff McInnis, Bobby Jackson and Earl Boykins.

For a team struggling to find itself a stable bench can go a long way in righting the ship.

       The Pacers bench is now manned by failed starters including their projected center and point guard; Scot Pollard and Jamaal Tinsley.  Pollard was replaced by active rebounder Jeff Foster and Tinsley who received his first DNP-CD a few games and has seemingly fallen out of the rotation behind well traveled veteran Kenny Anderson and journeyman former Cavalier Anthony Johnson.  The notable exception to this group is Al Harrington.  Harrington is the designated spark off the bench for new Pacers coach Rick Carlisle whose size and 6'10 250lb and athleticism make him at a matchup problem.  He is able to play both forward spots and sports an inside-outside game making Harrington too big for SFs and too quick for PFs.  The Pacers will play Harrington next to O'Neal at SF moving Ron Artest to SG giving them a big and athletic lineup or they will have him spell O'Neal at PF allowing Harrington to have an advantage against just about every backup PF in the league.  PF Chris Mihm would have his hands full in such a matchup and the Cavalier best suited to guard Harrington in Darius Miles hasn't played well defensively.

If Harrington or someone like SF Austin Croshere or PG Anthony Johnson come off the bench and hurt the Cavaliers it will be almost impossible for them to win.

When Cleveland has the ball: The Cavaliers face a dilemma of mismatched talent.  They need Kevin Ollie on the floor but he takes the ball out of LeBron James' hands whose offensive effectiveness drastically decreases when moved off the ball.  When off the ball James will undoubtedly see a large dose of defensive beast Ron Artest.  They need Bremer's shooting on the floor but they then lose Ollie's on-the-ball defense and playmaking.  They go inside to Ilgauskas with the starting lineup and there is no one to space the floor. The team is at his best when James has the ball in his hands and is turned loose.  Bad things happen when someone other than James or Ollie handle the ball. The Pacers have an aging backcourt that has lost some steps defensively.  Whomever Ron Artest isn't guarding will have opportunities to beat their man off the dribble and penetrate.  Silas must find the right mix of players to get the team over the hump so they wont have to go back to the old standby of the three previous Cavalier head coaches with the "throw it to Z and stand" offense although Ilgauskas will once again try to be established early in quarters.

Don't be surprised if a matchup zone is thrown at the Cavaliers by Indiana a la Portland.

When Indiana has the ball: The Pacers have struggled with their offensive continuity this season but Cleveland has been the aspirin for such headaches.  With that being said everything starts with PF Jermaine O'Neal as he is their main weapon.  Expect the Pacers to establish him against a smaller Carlos Boozer and against a Cleveland defense that opens lanes like a new highway particularly early in games.  The Nuggets went after Boozer with Nene so Indiana will do the same.  Ron Artest is the usual X factor for Indiana as he will at times spur the Pacers to a win or does something that self-destructs their chances at winning a game.  Pacer great Reggie Miller is still a dangerous and clutch shooter with a few more dagger three pointers left him against a Cleveland team that has a tendency to lose shooters on the perimeter. 

The Pacers like Cleveland are prone to bad decision making, not sharing the ball and needless jumpshot but for shorter stretches.  These problems are part of the reason why Kenny Anderson was inserted into the starting lineup.

Game outlook: Conseco Fieldhouse is a tough place for the Cavaliers to break their losing streak and get their first win.  The Pacers rolled the Cavaliers home and away last year and have bullied them at various times over the past few years.  It will take the Cavaliers putting it all together in all phases for four quarters something they have not done yet in order to get their first win.