Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics

Place: The Fleet Center in Boston, MA
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: SG Dajuan Wagner (right knee surgery) and PF Michael Stewart (knee tendinitis) are on the injured list.

Projected Celtics Starting Lineup:

PG: Mike James
SG: Paul Pierce
SF: Kedrick Brown
PF: Vin Baker
C:  Tony Battie

Celtics Injury Report: SF Chris Mills, C Kendrick Perkins and PF Brandon Hunter are on the injured list. C Tony Battie (sprained ankle and calf) is listed as probable.

Key Matchups:

Ricky Davis vs. Paul Pierce - If Paul Pierce was the Celtics' franchise player last year then he is even more so this year after the trade of PF Antoine Walker.  Everything revolves around Pierce for Boston as he leads the team in points, rebounds, assists and minutes.  Pierce is an all around player who is most deadly on the wing in the triple threat position although he is more than capable of coming off screens with three point range.  In that position he can face up and shoot the jumper, take it strong to the basket, post up as well as find open teammates when double teamed.  When on from the outside Pierce is amongst the league indefensible players capable of exploding for a lot of points in small amount of time, especially in the fourth quarter. A smart player, Pierce will get to the line by aggressively going to the rim and drawing fouls when his jumper is not falling.  Pierce's shooting percentage is down and his turnovers are up but that is mostly due to all the extra defensive attention but make no mistake he is an extremely dangerous player.  Ricky Davis is coming off a tough game against Miami SG Eddie Jones in which he was taken out of the game at both ends.  After having a solid defensive game against Knicks SG Allan Houston Davis struggled mightily fighting through picks and left Jones alone for wide open outside shots.  When Davis overplayed the screens Jones cut backdoor for easy shots.  Davis must do a better job of fighting through screens as Pierce is a more versatile, dangerous and explosive scorer than Eddie Jones.  Pierce does have a bulk advantage over Davis which will serve him well in the post.  Help must be quick and decisive for Davis as Pierce has turned the ball over a lot so far this season.  Davis must beat Pierce to the spot or else he may rack up some quick fouls on him.  On offense, Davis must remain patient and within the offense and not let his defensive problems frustrate him.  Davis made a lot of dumb turnovers against the Heat largely due to impatience and frustration (via Eddie Jones' defense).  Pierce had a defensive reputation coming into the league but that part of his game has sometimes waned with all his other responsibilities.  Pierce is still capable of accepting the defensive challenge and playing very good man defense but Ricky Davis will have his opportunities and it will be important for him to be in flow offensively to make Pierce work on both ends.

Carlos Boozer vs. Vin Baker - The Celtics have weathered the trade of Antoine Walker thanks in large part to the resurgence of PF Vin Baker.  Baker who has lost weight and dealt with his alcohol problem is playing his best basketball in several years.  With long arms on a 6'11 frame Baker's quickness has returned along with his confidence allowing him to be more active on both ends and the Celtics are going more to him in the post as the result.  Baker in the post is able to go to a jump hook, a turnaround jumper and will make the midrange shot as well.  He is also making plays at the end the games as the Celtics' second option being second on the team in points, rebounds and minutes.  Players in Baker's mold have given Boozer some trouble so far this season.  Boozer's key to guarding such players is always to beat them to their spot on the post.  Boozer is stronger than Baker so he should be able to stop Baker from establishing good position on a regular basis.  Although Baker is really improved his body and game he doesn't show the athleticism he once had so Boozer could challenge his shots more than say an Amare Stoudemire.  On offense Boozer must be in sync more than he was against Miami.  Boston likes to swarm the ball in the post collapsing three sometimes four players to whomever catches the ball inside.  Boozer will have opportunities to hit midrange jumpers.  One key for Cleveland is for Boozer to remain active running the floor, offensive rebounding and flashing to the rim on penetration to keep the Celtics honest. 

The Cleveland bench vs. the Boston bench - The Celtics bench has been a strength for them this season.  They have been regularly outscoring opponent's benches, playing very good defense along with being on the floor at critical stretches of games.  SF Eric Williams, a former starter, has been a steadying influence with his good defense, leadership and increased scoring with more opportunities.  Williams is Boston's third leading scorer despite coming off the bench in limited minutes. C Mark Blount has provided rebounding and defense by helping out on drives challenging and blocking shots.  PF Raef LaFrentz, the focal point of the Antoine Walker trade, gives Boston another long athletic big man who causes matchup problems with his three point range.  A very skilled player, LaFrentz can run the floor, rebound, shoot threes, score in the post and block shots but has been dogged throughout his career by perceived passivity and inconsistency.  He has been a big part of the Boston's bench and is capable of a 20-10 outburst.  Rookie PG Marcus Banks has struggled so far and is losing minutes to starter PG Mike James.  Banks is lighting quick and attacks the basket aggressively but has a suspect outside shot.

The Celtics routinely go ten deep sometimes eleven.  Celtics coach Jim O'Brien has confidence in all twelve.  Former key bench player SF Walter McCarty received his first DNP-CD in over a year due to the quality bench play.  Former Cavalier Jumaine Jones, a good bench player when in Cleveland, has battled a nagging injury and isn't in the rotation at the moment.

The Cavaliers bench is greatly improved over the beginning of the season.  PF Chris Mihm has been inserted into the rotation, given regular minutes and has responded by giving Cleveland a scoring lift and has been active and aggressive as he has been since his rookie year.  C DeSagana Diop has been going all out on the defensive end with great energy challenging everything around the basket and blocking shots at a high rate.  These two players must continue their improved play against the Boston big men who are also playing well and giving the Celtics the same production off the bench.  SF Ira Newble is back after missing all of training camp and preseason with patella tendinitis.  Newble's defense is way ahead of his offense as he the only Cavalier who slowed Eddie Jones down in Miami.  Newble has the reputation of being able to knock down open shots and the Cavaliers will need him as the perimeter scoring off the bench has gone south.  PG Kevin Ollie has been solid in extended minutes running the team and playing good defense but he must be able to hit some open shots which he hasn't done with any regularity.  SG JR Bremer has fallen into a shooting slump after a good opening game against Sacramento.  As one of the legit three point threats on the roster the team needs Bremer's shooting to keep the floor spread and the defense from sagging in.

Coach Silas is growing more confident with his bench and the rotation has grown to ten players.  Cleveland's bench must match Boston's production and energy and avoid lulls which haunted them earlier in the season.

When Cleveland has the ball: The Cavaliers are best attacking the basket either with penetration or going inside with their big men.  Their 30 free throw attempts against Miami doesn't reflect the good perimeter defense the Heat played.  Boston plays good defense but the Cleveland perimeter players will have better opportunities to penetrate since as a unit Boston doesn't have the athletes the Heat have although SF Kedrick Brown is as athletic as they come.  The Cavaliers had success until late in the game going over the top to Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Chris Mihm.  Boston has more length than size so Cleveland may look to exploit their size advantage once again.  The Celtics, who play will multiple defenses, have fronted Cleveland in the post and have swarmed Ilgauskas when he receives the ball.  It will be paramount for the Cleveland post players to get the ball back out quickly and hurt Boston with ball movement.  When Cleveland has had success against Boston it has been when they have moved the ball offensively.  One on one or stationary play will play right into the Celtics hands. 

When Boston has the ball: Boston's offense has changed with the trading of Antoine Walker.  They go inside to the post a lot more and their three point attempts are down but they are much more efficient shooting a higher percentage.  In the past Boston has played off Cleveland's inability to guard Pierce or Walker and when didn't kill them they set up players like McCarty and Williams to kill them with timely shots.  Boston moves the ball a lot more but Cleveland must be wary of the shooters Boston places around Pierce.  Mike James, McCarty, Jones, Williams and LaFrentz will all pull the trigger from outside.  The Cavaliers cannot forget about these players in an effort to concentrate on Pierce.  Pierce's scoring is down but Boston is still winning games.

Game outlook: The Cavaliers have not fared well against Boston the past several years and usually it is someone or another that has killed the Cavaliers.  Whether is Pierce or Walker or McCarty or Eric Williams it is someone who either hasn't played much or shot well that has killed the Cavaliers.  The Cavaliers matchup better against Boston now since Walker has departed but the Boston X-factor is still present as well as that 26 game road losing streak monkey on Cleveland's back.