Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New Orleans Hornets
by:MYoung

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: Ira Newble
PF: Carlos Boozer
C:  Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Cavaliers Injury Report: C Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje (ankle sprain) and SG J.R. Bremer (patella tendinitis) are on the injured list.  C DeSagana Diop (ankle sprain) has been cleared to play.

Projected Hornets Starters:

PG: Baron Davis
SG: Darrell Armstrong
SF: Jamal Mashburn
PF: P.J. Brown
C:  Jamaal Magliore

Hornets Injury Report: SG Courtney Alexander (torn Achilles Tendon) and SG David Wesley (sprained toe) are on the injured list.

Key Matchups:

Ira Newble vs. Jamal Mashburn - Although this is the third meeting between the two teams this season it is the first in which Mashburn will play and since his return to the Hornets lineup he has picked up where he has left off last season already averaging 20ppg.  In the past the Hornets would go through Mashburn at his SF at the midpost.  A good ballhandler and passer Mashburn can post up and find people when double teamed.  An imposing physical specimen at 6'8 245lbs does a lot of his damage starting in the post or in isolations.  He is also a tough shot maker able to hit turnaround and step back jumpers with defenders draped all over him.  Mashburn has three point range but it isn't the strength of his game.  Paul Silas has inserted SF Ira Newble into the starting lineup for no other reason to use SF Eric Williams' scoring ability off the bench.  Newble has had knee problems since training camp and has been brutal offensively all year.  A player billed as having pretty good athleticism and lift is now regularly blowing lay-ups and getting very little lift on his jumpshot.  While Newble admittedly has said that he won't be completely healthy until a summer of rest and rehab he does bring a defensive mindset to the team.  Even less than 100% he is the Cavaliers best defender and regularly takes the other team's best wing player.  Defensively, Newble must hold his ground when the Hornets isolate Mashnburn and he goes into his post up.  The further he can push Mashburn out on the floor the more likely he will go to his outside shot and while Mashburn does make a lot of tough jumpers he is still only shooting 41% and it keeps him from creating for teammates and getting to the free throw line.

LeBron James vs. Darrell Armstrong - At first glance this would appear to be a total mismatch and physically and athletically it is.  But, Darrell Armstrong starting in place of the injured David Wesley poses unique problems for James.  Armstrong is as pesky a defender as there is in the NBA even at his advanced age.  He is all hustle and kinetic energy.  He will hound the ball up the floor always looking for the steal.  He is also one of the league's best floppers making it hard for a bigger player like James to post him up.  At the slightest contact Armstrong will fall like he has been hit with a rocket propelled grenade and has been fooling NBA referees for about ten years.  Offensively, James must catch the ball on the move or near the basket rather than trying to always back down Armstrong or get into isolation.  James could cause some havoc if he is able to flash into the post and catch it deep or run Armstrong off C cuts and get into the lane where the Hornets big men will have no choice but to help.  Defensively, James must do a better job of finding his man in transition since he has a tendency to lose him.  Armstrong will run to the three point in transition and while he can be streaky he can get hot from the outside and bury jumpers from all over the place. 

When Cleveland has the ball: The zone once again gave the Cavaliers fits late against New York and almost cost them the game.  The Cavaliers are one of the few teams if not the only team I have seen not attack the zone via the middle of the paint.  Cleveland uses a double post set that just doesn't get it done and they spend a lot of time passing the ball around the perimeter.  New Orleans has played zone in the two previous meetings and will play it again especially with the size advantage James has in the backcourt and the recent strong play of Boozer and Ilgauskas inside.  When not in the zone expect New Orleans to pressure the ball up the floor with Davis and Armstrong.  Armstrong and Davis combine for over 4 steals per game and New Orleans forces a lot of turnovers which they turn into easy transition points.  PG Jeff McInnis has been the main factor in the Cavaliers cutting down their turnovers but his high turnover games have come when he has been pressured on the ball.  McInnis will be very important in handling the pressure from the Hornets guards, directing the Cavaliers attack against the zone and making outside shots.

When New Orleans has the ball: Much of the Hornets attack was based off the play of Baron Davis.  He has the green light to shoot the ball and is very dangerous when penetrating as he will set up the Hornets big men for lay-ups and dunks find shooters like Wesley and Armstrong.  New Orleans relies heavily on the three point shot.  Armstrong and Davis in particular are just bombs away from outside.  They will pull up on the break, off the dribble or off pick and roll.  They also have Steve Smith, George Lynch, Mashburn and the recently acquired Shammond Williams to hoist up three pointers.  New Orleans is able to do this because they get extra possession through offensive rebounds and forcing turnovers which allows them to be volume shooters and not worry so much about efficiency.  With Jamal Mashburn back in the lineup he gives them some post up ability and another big shot maker and scoring threat that takes the load off Baron Davis.  New Orleans will also give the Cavaliers another steady diet of high pick and rolls and pick and fades which they will run exclusively for stretches of games.  Davis is very good at the pick and roll and they like to involve Ilgauskas in them to get him away from the basket.

Game outlook: The Cavaliers are coming off two straight big wins so you always have to worry about a letdown which they have had at home before.  New Orleans now has Mashburn back to add to what was already one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference.  The Cavaliers have to come out with the same intensity against New Orleans that they had the last two games.  The Hornets can match the Cavaliers on the frontline and use an unconventional backcourt.  How Cleveland is able to defend the perimeter and take care of the ball will indicate how the game will go.

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