Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New Orleans Hornets

Place: The Gund Arena in Cleveland, OH.
Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
TV/Radio: FSN Ohio/WTAM 1100

Projected Starting Cavaliers Lineup:

PG: LeBron James
SG: Kedrick Brown
SF: Ira Newble
PF: Carlos Boozer
C:  Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Cavaliers Injury Report: SG DaJuan Wagner (knee surgery) and C DeSagana Diop (knee surgery) are on the injured list.

Projected Hornets Starting Lineup:

PG: Baron Davis
SG: David Wesley
SF: George Lynch
PF: P.J. Brown
C:  Jamaal Magliore

Hornets Injury Report: SG Courtney Alexander (torn Achilles tendon), C James Lang (back spasms) and SF Jamal Mashburn (knee surgery) are on the injured list.  PF David West (upper respiratory infection) is questionable.

Key Matchups:

LeBron James vs. Baron Davis - Only the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar-esque numbers Kevin Garnett has been recently putting up has quelled the Baron Davis for MVP talk.  Davis is the driving force that has the Hornets with the second best record in the Eastern Conference.  Better offseason conditioning has propelled him to a new level.  He is lighter and better able to make use of his combination of strength, quickness and explosiveness.  Several other factors make Baron Davis an extremely tough cover.  He has a lightening quick crossover changing directions in a blur leaving defenders whiffing along with a quick spin move he will employ in traffic.  Davis creates havoc penetrating and using his strength and thick build to finish around the rim.  While in the lane he is very good at rifling quick interior passes to his big men after drawing defenders to him.  You cannot play Davis for the drive because he launches and makes as many three pointers as any player in the NBA.  He doesn't shoot a great percentage and is prone to long cold streaks but will always hit a key three to stop a run or at the end of the shot clock, to end a quarter or put a dagger into the opposing team late. He will shoot them off screens, off the dribble, on the break on kickouts, essentially, anytime anywhere.  To put it simply Davis makes big plays and shots routinely.  Defensively, Davis is the kind of player that gives James trouble.  James will have to give Davis room and first try and take away his penetration.  James has the athleticism and length to close out and challenge Davis' outside shots and will need to recognize the situations in the game when Davis is likely to come down and fire a three pointer.  For all of Davis' brilliance he is shooting under 40% from the field and is more about volume production and coming through at the right time.  Offensively, James has to be very careful with his handling around Davis.  Davis is second in the NBA and steals and is always looking to pick a careless ballhandler.  He will start to let a player go by and then reach and poke away from behind.  James has gotten better handling the ball under pressure and he will be tested again.  Posting up James against a smaller Davis should be an option as it was not taken advantage of in the first meeting between the two teams.  It's an advantage the Cavaliers can exploit and could help pull the Hornets big men away from the basket.

Kedrick Brown vs. David Wesley - Wesley has been a Cavaliers killer for years.  Regardless of the size disadvantages Wesley faces almost every night he remains a potent second scorer in the NBA.  A savvy veteran Wesley uses and sets up screens very well.  He comes off a down screen and creates separation from he and the defender as well as any player in the NBA.  The Hornets continuously will run Wesley through different screens to get him open.  The way he shoots against Cleveland you wonder how Wesley shoots 40% against the rest of the NBA.  Defensively, the main key for Brown is how he is able to get through the numerous screens New Orleans will set for Wesley.  If he can get through he can use his height and athleticism to challenge or chase Wesley off his shots.  Getting Wesley free is too large of a part of what New Orleans does offensively to complete shut down but you can limit his open looks and make his shots tougher.  Wesley also plays very well off of Baron Davis running to open spots in transition and when Davis penetrates.  Brown can make headway in staying with Wesley in those situations.  Offensively, Brown is an afterthought in the Cavaliers offense and the Hornets will probably not pay a lot of attention to him.  Brown has remained in the starting lineup by being able to hit some spot up threes and play solid defense.  He has shot the three well and will likely get more opportunities tonight.

When Cleveland has the ball: The trade with the Celtics has streamlined the rotation and started to better defines roles on the team.  Much more of the offense runs through LeBron James regardless of which guard spots he plays and James has responded.  James starts the game at PG but has recently been switching to SG with Kevin Ollie running the team down the stretch of the fourth quarter.  It will be very important for the Cavaliers to handle the ball pressure of the Hornets guards and be able to get into their offense.  Baron Davis, David Wesley and Darrell Armstrong combine for over six steals a game.  Pressuring the ball and in terms creating turnovers and a faster tempo is when the Hornets are at their best.  Therefore, it starts out top for the Cavaliers.  Instead of leaving the PG to bring the ball up against pressure the Cavaliers may want to attack the Hornets pressure or pass the ball ahead and not let New Orleans dictate the tempo. Having James to give up the ball early could help him get down and post up the smaller Hornets guards more easily. 

When New Orleans has the ball: The Hornets are like the Pistons in that they are a perimeter scoring team headed by Davis and Wesley.  They provide most of the scoring, steals and three pointers which pace New Orleans.  They are at their best pressuring the ball all over the place, forcing turnovers, shooting threes and Davis doing his magic late.  Hornets coach Tim Floyd is not afraid to go very small late in game playing Wesley, Davis and Armstrong all at the same time.  It puts their three best three point shooters and man defenders out on the floor.  The lineup bets their shooting and pressure will trump any size disadvantage they give up.  Doing the dirty work for the small guys has been Jamaal Magliore and P.J. Brown.  Both have stepped up their play and have been averaging a double-double in December and playing solid defense.  New Orleans isn't as good of a rebounding team as they were under Silas but they are a pretty good offensive rebounding team and they have plenty of opportunities with all the three pointers being shot by the guards. 

Game outlook: Coach Silas feels good about his team's chances tonight as the Hornets will be facing a different team than the one they saw earlier in the season.  Cleveland is playing better defense, James is on a roll and the team is more stable.  This will be the first real test for the revamped Cavaliers as New Orleans are decidedly better and healthier than the two teams Cleveland beat on the road.  New Orleans has a history of laying eggs in Cleveland but they are well aware of the changes the Cavaliers have made and the difference to their team.  A win against a very good Hornets team legitimizes the difference the Cavaliers feel they have made by the Ricky Davis trade.