Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves

Place: Gund Arena in Cleveland, OH
Time: 8:00 p.m. EST
TV/Radio: ESPN/WTAM 1100 AM

Projected Cavaliers Starting Lineup:

PG: LeBron James
SG: Ricky Davis
SF: Darius Miles
PF: Chris Mihm
C:  Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Cavaliers Injury Report: SG Dajuan Wagner (right knee surgery) and PF Michael Stewart (knee tendinitis) are on the injured list.  C DeSagana Diop (plantar fasciitis) is probable and PF Carlos Boozer (sprained ankle) is a game time decision.

Projected Timberwolves Starting Lineup:

PG: Sam Cassell
SG: Trenton Hassell
SF: Latrell Sprewell
PF: Kevin Garnett
C:  Mark Madsen

Timberwolves Injury Report: PG Troy Hudson (sprained ankle) and SF Wally Szczerbiak (plantar fasciitis) are on the injured list.  C Michael Olowokandi (knee tendinitis) is probable.

Key Matchups:

Chris Mihm vs. Kevin Garnett - Despite the changes to the Minnesota roster it all starts with Kevin Garnett who is the unquestioned franchise player for Minnesota and  top five maybe even three player in the NBA.  As much as it has been about Garnett it has been about synergy for the Timberwolves.  They have been greater than the sum of their parts which is made possible by Garnett.  At 7'0-7'1 Garnett is a freak of an athlete with long arms and wiry frame blessed with the quickness and agility of a much smaller man.  What makes him special are his all around skills and unselfishness.  Last year Garnett led his team in points, assists, rebounds, minutes and blocks and would be again if it were not for Sam Cassell leading the team in assists this year.  Garnett can run the floor, handle the ball in the open floor, pass the ball, shoot the ball out to 20 feet, rebound on both ends, post up, face up just about everything.  Garnett is probably most dangerous catching and then facing up where he will hit the short jumpers all day or will ball/head fake and go around slower defenders.  He will go to a turnaround or a jump hook in the post but has been criticized for not doing it enough.  The intangible aspect to Garnett's game is the fire and passion he plays with.  He is a superstar that doesn't take nights off.  You must match him in that first to compete with him.  This is just a bad matchup for Chris Mihm who likely get the call against Garnett with the uncertainty surrounding Carlos Boozer.  Cavaliers coach Paul Silas says he doesn't want C DeSagana Diop chasing around Garnett after Diop started against Washington and trouble with PF Kwame Brown.  The best Mihm can hope for defensively is to give Garnett some room and lay off him a bit to take away the face up drive and get a lot of help.  Since he is 7 feet Mihm, if he can close out quick enough, can challenge Garnett's jumpshots.  Mihm must also do a better job of keeping his body on a man in the paint.  He has a penchant for not getting good body contact, getting out position and going over the top.  That wont work against Garnett and consciously finding Garnett and putting a body on him will be a key.  Offensively, Mihm should look to post up Garnett and be as physical as he can staying within his game.  Garnett has been known to guard all three frontcourt positions but even if Garnett isn't on him Mihm should look to go inside.

Ricky Davis vs. Latrell Sprewell - When Ricky Davis is at his best the player he closely resembles is Latrell Sprewell and that is on both ends.  Davis who was mysteriously benched for the fourth quarter in what was a close game for the Cavaliers must not lose focus for tonight's game.  Sprewell isn't the quite the same player he was when he was traded to New York.  His shooting percentage has been hovering around 40% the past few years and he isn't the same terror defensively. Originally set to play his natural position of SG the injury to SF Wally Szczerbiak Sprewell has been pressed back into that SF role.  Sprewell can be described as a timely shooter.  He can hit the midrange jumper and has three point range but does so more at critical moments of the game.  An average ballhandler, Sprewelll used to be able to turn the corner to get to the rim but now he settles for more jumpshots.  He will pull up a lot more often.  He can and will still get on the break and finish.  Davis at this point of his career is a better player than Sprewell so it is just a matter of showing it.  The mental aspect of the game is always the key for Davis something Sprewell has conquered as a long time NBA veteran.  Defensively, Davis must turn Sprewell into a jump shooter and get up on that shot late if the game is close.  Offensively, even though Sprewell isn't what he was defensively, off the dribble isn't Davis' strength so he must continue to use screens well to get open as Sprewell is still good enough to take the ball away from Davis and force tough shots.

The Cavaliers bench vs. the Timberwolves bench - The Timberwolves bench is a prime example of the synergy of the team with Garnett.  Even with two projected starters either not playing or drastically slowed by injuries and another key bench player out Minnesota finds away to get production from its bench.  SG Fred Hoiberg is giving Minnesota outside scoring and is a dangerous three point threat.  As their best shooter Hoiberg is shooting 62% from three point range and 52% overall.  PF Gary Trent is off to a productive start leading the bench scoring and the team in FG% providing them with some inside scoring and toughness.  The replacement for Troy Hudson is undrafted rookie free agent Keith McLeod who is starting to come on and another guy who could come out of the blue and kill the Cavaliers.

Frontcourt injuries have sent shockwaves throughout the Cavaliers bench.  With Boozer likely out and Diop battling a foot problem it has forced Paul Silas to start his best bench player in Chris Mihm.  Without Boozer it exposes a Diop if he asked to do more puts even more pressure on other struggling members of the unit.  SF Ira Newble will also see some action at backup PF is still favoring the knee that kept him out of the entire preseason and the first five games of the season and is struggling to find his offense.  A 48% shooter during his two years in Atlanta Newble is shooting 14% as a Cavalier.  JR Bremer who the Cavaliers count on to spread the floor and hit outside shots is shooting under 30% The one guy is who is getting better with more time is PG Kevin Ollie.  Ollie is finding his groove and being the solid steady veteran influence he was brought to Cleveland to be. 

With C Michael Olowkandi slowed by knee injuries this Timberwolves bench should be a good matchup for the Cleveland bench if they can get some guys to come around.  The difference right now isn't talent but who is playing well and who isn't.  Minnesota has some key players playing well the Cavaliers do not.

When Cleveland has the ball: The Cavaliers have a clear athleticism advantage over Minnesota on the perimeter and a big size advantage if the Timberwolves start Mark Madsen again.  The question is will they be able to take advantage of it.  Other than Garnett there is no healthy shotblocking presence and Minnesota lacks size overall.  Miles, Davis and James should have driving opportunities depending on who is guarding them.  Trenton Hassell who at his very best is an 8th-9th man was waived by the Bulls but now starting for Minnesota.  Sam Cassell is approaching his mid 30s and has never been a good defender.  Don't be surprised if they try and hide a Cassell on Darius Miles and if that happens Miles should go directly to the block.  Last year the Timberwolves relied heavily on the zone and should use it again against the Cavaliers.  The zone works to negate athleticism and size advantages which the Cavaliers have and plays into one of Cleveland's biggest weakness of outside shooting.  The Cavaliers have not executed well against the zone and their designated shooters have not shot well against it or any other defense for that matter.  If the Cavaliers are able to rebound which is a big if without Boozer they should look to force the issue up the court and not let Minnesota set up their zone.

When Minnesota has the ball: Minnesota is a motion passing team which works with an unselfish superstar like Garnett.  They are essentially a jump shooting team that is 9th in the NBA in FG% and 8th in 3PFG% although they don't take a lot of them.  But, they are a team that does not get to the line often as they 28th in NBA in FT attempts going to line less than the Cavaliers who made getting to the line a point of emphasis.  Minnesota had problems rebounding early in the season but have picked up lately and expect them to attack the boards even more if Boozer doesn't play for the Cavaliers.  With all the new players and key injuries Minnesota has had some trouble scoring but it doesn't make them any less dangerous of an opponent for Cleveland.  Their motion system much like Princeton-style offense Cleveland has seen with Sacramento and Washington is one that will give the Cavaliers problems with the constant player movement and screens.  Cleveland defenders will turn their heads or have trouble getting through screens which will allow Minnesota to run their offense and get good shots.

Game outlook: The Cavaliers matchup well with Minnesota other than Kevin Garnett who is a very big exception.  He has the ability to control and influence the game with all around play and couple that with the Minnesota system they could negate all the Cavaliers advantage and exploit their biggest one.  The possible loss of Boozer cannot be stressed enough even though it is telling in the 47 offensive rebounds the Cavaliers have given up the past two games without him.  The frontcourt is now thin and that levels the field against Minnesota and keeps the Cavaliers from throwing bodies at Garnett.  This game may be as much about style of play than anything else.  Who can impose their style on the game.  Cleveland has more talent and more parts but Minnesota has the best player and a better team.