Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Philadelphia 76ers

Place: Gund Arena in Cleveland, OH
Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
TV/Radio: Fox Sports Ohio, NBA TV/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 76ers Starting Lineup:

PG: Eric Snow
SG: Allen Iverson
SF: Aaron McKie
PF: Marc Jackson
C:  Samuel Dalembert

76ers Injury Report: SG Greg Buckner (left hamstring), C Todd MacCulloch (foot neuropathy) and SF Monty Williams (left knee) are on the injury list.  SF Glenn Robinson (left ankle sprain) and PF Kenny Thomas (lower back contusion) are out.  C Derrick Coleman (left knee strain) is a game time decision. 

Key Matchups:

Ricky Davis vs. Allen Iverson - If Ricky Davis has had trouble defending wing players this year he hasn't anything yet in Allen Iverson.  Iverson is a continual ball of energy always moving and attacking with the ultimate NBA green light.  His heart, energy and intensity drive the Sixers as evidence by their win over the San Antonio Spurs while missing their entire starting frontcourt.  Iverson has always killed the Cavaliers especially during the Larry Brown era.  Not known for having a high shooting percentage Iverson usually has one in Cleveland exploding for 35, 40 or more and doing it by making a lot of outside shots.  The Sixers run most of their offense through Iverson.  They will run flare him off screens on the wing and baselines as well as run isolations for him at the of the key where he can break down the defense to score or find the open man.  Iverson is a fearless penetrating often challenging 7 footers and has the ability to finish inside and draw fouls.  He is lightening quick in the open floor especially off turnovers and Iverson will challenge two and even three defenders on the break.  The book on Iverson is to make him a jumpshooter and make him work for his shots as he will often not shoot well but his great quickness makes it very difficult and against Cleveland those jumpshots always seem to fall.  Not surprisingly, Iverson is a clutch player able to hit big shots and make big plays late in games.  Defensively, Ricky Davis must snap out of his funk and fight harder through screens.  Iverson is always moving so he cannot be lazy or Iverson will make him pay.  Davis has to give Iverson room in isolations to keep him in front and use athleticism to close out and challenge his shots.  Iverson can hit some tough contested shots but Davis cannot lose focus and get frustrated.  Some things cannot be helped like off balance 22 footers shooter over a guy seven inches taller.  Properly closing out when Iverson comes off screens will also be a key.  Davis cannot wildly jump at Iverson after getting through a pick or else Iverson will pump fake and have a free lane to the basket where he is most dangerous.  Offensively, will be able to come off screens and shoot over Iverson.  Iverson for all the offensive weight he carries will lapse on things like getting through screens.  Putting the ball on the floor isn't a good idea for Davis against Iverson.  He will gamble for steals and attack weak ballhandlers.  Davis should continue to post up like he has tried to do the last few games but must do a better job recognizing when help comes against a smaller defender and not force fadeaways against outstretched big men.

Darius Miles vs. Aaron McKie - This is a key matchup because McKie is a notorious Cavaliers killer. Injuries have slowed McKie in recent years but he is still a vital part of the Sixers success.  A versatile player McKie has played PG, SG and SF at various times for Philadelphia both starting and coming off the bench.  With Glenn Robinson expected to be out once again McKie will be expected to pick up some of Robinson's scoring load.  He responded last night by going 7-8 against the Spurs from the field.  One could classify McKie as a streaky or timely shooter.  He has range but has never shot a great percentage from the field except seemingly against Cleveland.  This year McKie is off to a blazing start from the field shooting 52% and 12-15 from three point range.  McKie is coming into tonight's game hot.  McKie is mainly a spot up shooter but with Robinson out the Sixers may run him off screens and McKie can post up in the mid post as well.  Miles must not lose sight of McKie coming to help on penetration.  He has great chemistry with Iverson and PG Eric Snow and they will find him for open shots.  McKie shouldn't be able to beat Miles off the dribble at this stage of his career but Miles hasn't had much success keep anyone in front of him.  If McKie is getting to the rim against the Cavaliers it will a long night.  Offensively, the Sixers will make Miles prove he can consistently make outside shots.  With his height and length advantage the 6'9 Miles could have some post up opportunities against the 6'5 McKie.

The Cleveland bench vs. the 76ers bench - With the entire starting Philadelphia frontcourt out against San Antonio the Sixers bench consisted of two rookie second round picks one of which SF Kyle Korver fouled out in eleven minutes and a journeyman center Amal McCaskill who had averaged .5 ppg in 7 minutes a game.  The best of the bunch is second year player John Salmons.  The Sixers like Salmons, who had a very good summer, and his versatility.  Like McKie, Salmons can play three positions and started the first three games of the season when Glenn Robinson was serving his league imposed three game suspension.  He gave Philadelphia their best lift off the bench against the Spurs scoring 11 points.  Salmons is the kind of dangerous X factor that has hurt the Cavaliers.  If he comes off the bench in the backcourt Salmons has a big size advantage at 6'7 over the 6'2 Kevin Ollie and JR Bremer.  If Derrick Coleman plays tonight then is likely moves C Samuel Delembert back to the bench.  Delembert, an athletic 7 footer with very long arms, has held the fort in Coleman's absence.  Always a good shotblocker Dalembert has shown the ability in extended minutes to catch the ball and finish inside something he was just horrible at playing alongside Eddie Griffin at Seton Hall.  In college, Dalembert would routinely fumble passes and when he did catch it brick lay-ups.

If the Cavaliers cannot make headway against this group they are in for a long night once again.

The roles on the Cavaliers bench have reversed.  Earlier in the season it was all about JR Bremer and his shooting but now it about PF Chris Mihm.  As Bremer has gone absolute zero cold from the outside Mihm has come in and scored in bunches in just limited minutes.  He has been active and aggressive something seldom seen since his rookie year.  PG Kevin Ollie has been solid defending and running the team but he along with Bremer must start to hit open shots and open up the floor for the Cavalier big men who are playing well.  Bremer, Ollie and SF Ira Newble were a combined 0-8 against Boston.  Newble, who is coming back from patella tendinitis, looks completely lost at the moment.  He looks to be lacking quickness and athleticism and his shot looks bad coming out of hand.  After doing a solid job on SG Eddie Jones he was burned badly by Boston's Eric Williams. 

There will be open shots against the young backups of Philadelphia if Cleveland executes then it will be a matter of actually making some.

When Cleveland has the ball: The Cavaliers are built around their perimeter players.  When James, Miles and Davis are all playing well the team plays well.  The last two games Miles and Davis have been M.I.A and the Cavaliers have been handled on the road despite having a rebounding and scoring advantage inside.  An absolute must for them is to take care of the ball and make good decisions which will be a tough task against Philadelphia.  Allen Iverson, Snow and McKie are the anchors of the Sixers defense.  They will put pressure on the ball, get physical and get into the passing lanes looking for steals.  Those three set the tempo with Iverson leading the way.  The Cavaliers must be sharp and precise on their initial passes to the wing and entry passes into the post.  The Sixers will force a lot of turnovers which fuels their transition game.  When running their high post UCLA offense the big men must be leery of Iverson who after following his man on the initial cut will circle back around to strip the big man at the high post.  He is good for at least one steal of his 3.5 per game a game doing this and it usually leads to a transition lay up.  How well Cleveland is able to execute against the pressure of Philadelphia will be a main factor in whether they can win the game.

When Philadelphia has the ball: Despite the change to former Ohio State Buckeyes coach Randy Ayers everything still starts with Iverson.  One minor change is that Ayers is having Iverson play more PG to more utilize his playmaking skills.  Iverson has responded by leading the Sixers in assists with about 7.5 a game his highest average since he came into the league as a PG.  Besides using their defense to get easy baskets the Sixers will play off the abilities of Iverson.  Eric Snow and Aaron McKie are capable of hitting open shots and the big men are set up for lay-ups by the penetration of Iverson and Snow.  The Sixers don't just stand around and watch Iverson they more often that not they will follow his lead.  Iverson is capable of dominating a game with more than just his scoring.  As he showed the Spurs he can pretty much beat the Cavaliers by himself.

Game outlook: During the Cavaliers short two game road trip they lacked the intensity and focus shown in their two home wins against New York and Washington.  Miami and Boston were physical and pressured the Cavaliers on the perimeter and they wilted falling back into bad habits of poor passing, bad shots and decision making. They were outhustled and lacked a sense of urgency something that should never happen with a young team that should have something to prove. Philadelphia is a team whose defensive intensity is probably higher than that of Miami and Boston.  Even as a wounded animal Philadelphia showed that heart and intensity in beating San Antonio.  Cleveland must match that or else they will be handled once again.  The Cavaliers must not let Iverson dominate the game.  He will score his points but if he affects the game with steals, assists, hustle plays the Cavaliers will lose.