Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Memphis Grizzlies

Place: Gund Arena in Cleveland, OH.
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: Jason Kapono
PF: Michael Stewart
C: Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Cavaliers Injury Report: SG Dajuan Wagner (knee surgery) and C Bruno Sundov (wrist contusion) are on the injured list.  PF Carlos Boozer (sprained ankle) is day-to-day.

Projected Grizzlies Starting Lineup:

PG: Jason Williams
SG: James Posey
SF: Mike Miller
PF: Pau Gasol
C:  Jake Tsakalidis

Grizzlies Injury Report: SF Theron Smith (back spasms), PG Troy Bell (sore knee) and PF Ryan Humphrey (concussion) are on the injured list.  PF Lorenzen Wright (sprained ankle) is probable.

Key Matchups:

Michael Stewart vs. Pau Gasol - This may not even be the matchup as coach Paul Silas has gone with three different starting PFs since the injury to Carlos Boozer.  Stewart is probably the best defensive PF type the Cavaliers have left.  Gasol has all the tools to be the next elite superstar PF in the NBA but isn't quite there yet.  He has a freakishly long arms and uses them to finish around the rim despite a rather slight frame.  Gasol can change the direction of the ball in air and seemingly go around hands and arms to dunk the ball.  He is very mobile and runs the floor well.  In the halfcourt, Gasol can use a series of hooks from the post as well as face up and either hit the standstill face up jumper or go around slower defenders.  He is also very tough in pick and roll situations.  Although his rebound numbers are down a bit Gasol is the Grizzlies best offensive rebounder able to keep balls alive and sneak in with his length.  Stewart for his part must be physical with Gasol who has been accused of not liking contact.  Body position will be important as to not let Gasol go over the top and get offensive rebounds.  Grizzlies coach Hubie Brown can have a quick trigger when his players aren't doing what he expects so if Stewart is active getting put backs or beats Gasol to offensive rebounds it could help get him out of the game early.

Ricky Davis vs. Jason Williams - Williams who was once considered the most out of control PG in the league but has grown considerable under Hubie Brown.  Just about every aspect of his game has improved becoming one of the better floor generals in the NBA.  Williams has an over 4 to 1 turnover ratio which is very impressive in the Grizzlies up tempo style of play.  He sees the floor and is as creative and gifted passer as there is in the NBA and very dangerous in the open court.  Williams is ultra quick and will break down defenses more to dish rather than to finish.  Very good at running the high pick and roll Williams is another guard that will step behind the pick and shoot the three pointer.  Williams will never be a high percentage shooter but he can get hot and hit 3-4 three pointers in a row and he will shoot them off the dribble, pulling on the break or from about 28 feet.  Davis has to treat Williams in a similar fashion as Allen Iverson.  Keep Williams in front of him and use his athleticism to close out.  He also has to fight through screens and be wary of Williams' affinity with just pulling up behind the three point and not lose Williams in transition by complaining to a ref or fretting over a missed shot.  Williams can turn the floor over in a blur.  Defensively, Williams may guard Jason Kapono if he gets the start so he is someone the Cavaliers can run through screens.

When Cleveland has the ball: The Cavaliers should get a break defensively facing the Grizzlies who despite having some good defensive players aren't a good defensive team.  C Zydrunas Ilgauskas has been in a good offensive flow for sometime now and Tsakalidis is a guy he can go after in the post and start the Grizzlies to have to double team.  Tsakalidis is the biggest player on the Grizzlies and the only real matchup for Ilgauskas.  The return of Davis and Newble gave the Cavaliers a boost offensively and they were able to execute until late in the game against the Pistons.  Cleveland must do a better job of attacking when teams pressure them.  Beating pressure is a good way to the Cavaliers transition game going in order to attack the rim and get open shots.  Memphis forces a lot of turnovers but they can be scored upon and you can get some easy baskets.  The Cavaliers must also find a way to get LeBron James untracked offensively.  He is struggling to get good shots in rhythm and calling post ups to get him near the basket initially could get him off to a good start in the halfcourt.

When Memphis has the ball: The Grizzlies are a deep team that likes to get out and run although coach Hubie Brown has tightened up his rotation after some recent struggles by the team.  Expect Memphis to run at the Cavaliers, who can struggle getting back defensively, at every opportunity.  Memphis hurt Cleveland last year with high pick and rolls so they will likely do more of the game trying to get the bigger but slower Cleveland frontcourt out on the floor.  During stretches of games Brown will go to what he believes is his best lineup of Williams, Miller, Battier, Gasol and Swift.  With Ilgauskas on the floor the Cavaliers have been hurt by teams going small so this is a lineup the Cavaliers may see often to force Silas to match up.  Memphis isn't a good rebounding team so if the Cavaliers can get back in transition and contain them in the halfcourt they can keep Memphis to one shot and control the boards.

Game outlook: The Cavaliers gave a much better account in Detroit after nearly getting back to full strength.  If it were not some questionable coaching decisions down the stretch the Cavaliers might have picked up their first road win of the season.  This game may come down to matchups.  For much of the early season the Cavaliers have not been able to dictate much to other teams and with the multiple lineups the Grizzlies can put on the floor it will important not to leave a bad matchup on the floor for too long.  Cleveland gets off to better starts at home (when not on national TV) and how the game starts will determine the matchup chess match throughout the game.