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

Projected Cavaliers Starters:

PG: Jeff McInnis
SG: LeBron James
SF: Eric Williams
PF: Carlos Boozer
C:  Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Cavaliers Injury Report: PF/C Tony Battie (bruised knee) and C Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje (sprained ankle) are on the injured list.  SG LeBron James (strained calf) is expected to play.

Projected Nets Starters:

PG: Jason Kidd
SG: Kerry Kittles
SF: Richard Jefferson
PF: Kenyon Martin
C:  Aaron Williams

Nets Injury Report: C Alonzo Mourning (focal glomerulosclerosis), PF Eddie Griffin (sore back) and SG Tamar Slay (strained groin) are on the injured list.  C Jason Collins (sprained toe) is out for tonight.

Key Matchups:

Eric Williams vs. Richard Jefferson - Jefferson keeps getting better in all phases of his game every year.  Very athletic, he is a perfect weapon for the ammunition of Jason Kidd's passes and fills the wing on break finishing as well as anyone in the league.  His jumper is steadily improving and Jefferson can now spot up and shoot and occasionally run off screens.  He moves well without the ball, gets a lot of easy baskets and doesn't take a lot of bad shots which accounts for his 49% FG% that is very high for a regular perimeter player in this era.  Jefferson is also a very good perimeter defender and is very active getting up into his man denying the ball and putting on ball pressure.  Defensively, Williams, who has had trouble with athletic matchups must worry about Jefferson's movement without the ball including all the backdoor cuts and not get caught leaning and hedging one way.  Jefferson isn't really a one on one player who breaks down defenders off the dribble but Williams must account for his athleticism as Jefferson gets to the line more than any other Net.  The biggest key for Williams will be transition defense getting back and finding Jefferson in transition and make those 2-on-1 or 3-on-2 breaks 2-on-2 or 3-on-3 breaks.  Offensively, Williams must be involved with his post game.  The ball pressure the Nets employ cannot force him to drift away from the basket and force him into becoming a jumpshooter.  The Nets are lacking size and Williams is crafty enough to find a way to be effective inside against Jefferson.

Carlos Boozer vs. Kenyon Martin - Martin is another Nets that keeps getting better year.  Named to his first All Star team Martin is leading the Nets in points, rebounds, blocks and steals.  Martin is the best athlete on the Nets which is saying something considering he plays next to Richard Jefferson.  His quickness and explosion around the basket as a PF is only rivaled by Kevin Garnett and Stromile Swift. A pogo stick jumper, Martin will jump come down and get off his feet before most player can jump the first time. Although not a classic post up player but has improved in that area.  Martin will turn and face in the post and go into a series of jump hooks and flips around the basket using the quickness advantage he has over most PFs.  He has also improved his jumper to the point where he will take bigger players away from the basket and will now occasionally hit the three pointer.  His bread and butter however is being the other weapon on the wing for Jason Kidd.  Martin runs the floor like a SF or SG and has great chemistry with Kidd seemingly coming out of nowhere at odd angles to catch lobs for dunks from Kidd.  Defensively, Boozer, who has trouble with quicker more athletic PFs, has to use his strength to beat Martin to his spot and make him go over the top and make shots.  He cannot stand like a statue and let Martin just hop around him and get to the rim.  The two big keys for Boozer will be transition defense and blocking out.  Boozer has been prone to getting beaten down the floor in transition by running players.  Boozer has to continually find Martin and put a body on him because Martin loves to soar in for tip dunks. 

When Cleveland has the ball: Defensively, this could be a tough matchup for the Cavaliers.  Even with Jeff McInnis doing a pretty good job taking care of the ball the Cavaliers have problems when teams pressure them and that is what the Nets do best.  New Jersey doesn't have much size or any shotblocking inside but they have three very good perimeter defenders in Kidd, Martin and Jefferson that disrupt sets and force a lot of turnovers.  It will be important for Cleveland to not just take care of the ball but to execute offensively against the New Jersey pressure.  They must do a better job of moving the ball and bodies or they will play right into New Jersey's hands. Getting players the ball on the move will make it easier to get the rim and take advantage of the Nets lack of size.  Cleveland does have a big advantage inside with Ilgauskas since the Nets will be without Jason Collins leaving Aaron Williams as the only other big man.  Also, the Cavaliers must rebound against the Nets who aren't a great rebounding team.  Controlling the boards will help control that deadly Nets transition game.

When New Jersey has the ball: The Nets continue to the run the Kings version of the Princeton-style offense even without Byron Scott and Eddie Jordan.  The system involves a lot of player and ball movement with the staple being the backdoor cut.  The Nets as a team don't score a ton of points.  The Cavaliers actually average more points per game but Nets bread and butter is their transition game.  Fueled by their perimeter defense and turnovers and led by Jason Kidd the Nets starters 1-4 may be the fastest in the league.  They are like a wave streaming down the floor in transition and they can blitz teams with big runs and take control of the game.  If the Cavaliers don't take care of the ball and rebound the Nets could run them off the floor.  You always have to mention Jason Kidd when talking about the Nets.  He is a triple double threat every game but most importantly he is the big shot taker for the Nets.  Kidd only shoots 40% from the field but he makes big jumpers at the end of game and seemingly always has his jumper on for the Cavaliers. 

Game outlook: The Nets have been a roll since the firing of Byron Scott winning 9 in a row overall and all 8 under new coach Lawrence Frank.  New Jersey's defense has been stifling over that stretch and they have running teams into the ground.  It is a getaway to the All Star break game for both teams and the Cavaliers need it more.  Another win would inch them closer to the 8th playoff spot while the Nets want to continue their roll.  The Cavaliers have matched up well against this group of Nets despite the contrast in styles.  Whomever can dictate how the game is played and then make the plays needed at the end if it is close will win.