Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Sacramento Kings

Place:  Arco Arena in Sacramento, CA
Time: 10:30 p.m. EST
TV/Radio:  ESPN/WUAB Ch. 43, WTAM 1100 AM

Projected Cavaliers Starting Lineup:

PG: LeBron James
SG: Ricky Davis
SF:  Darius Miles
PF:  Carlos Boozer
C:  Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Cavaliers Injury Report: SF Ira Newble (right knee patella tendinitis), C Bruno Sundov (right Achilles tendinitis) and SG Dajuan Wagner (right knee effusion) are all on the Injured List.

Projected Kings Starting Lineup:

PG: Mike Bibby
SG: Doug Christie
SF: Predrag Stojakovic
PF: Brad Miller
C:  Vlade Divac

Kings Injury Report: PF Chris Webber (knee surgery) and PF Lawrence Funderburke (heel) are on the Injured List.  C Vlade Divac (sprained ankle) is questionable.

Key Matchups: 

Darius Miles vs. Peja Stojakovic - Miles didn't accept the challenge of guarding the elite SFs of the NBA last year and he starts the season once again against one of the league's best in All Star Peja Stojakovic.  Without superstar PF Chris Webber Stojakovic will be called upon to score even more and has done so in the past against the Cavaliers when the Kings were without Webber.  Stojakovic moves well without the ball and is adept at coming off screens, using picks and getting his shot off.  The Kings find him for open jumpshots in the halfcourt and in transition.  Not just a spot shooter Stojakovic is able to create space with his dribble for his jumper and even turn the corner in penetration if defenders crowd him too much.  Miles must use his length and athleticism to challenge Stojakovic's shot and not lose track of him in transition or on backdoor cuts.  The lack of concentration and mental lapses Miles is prone to cannot happen or else Stojakovic is capable of putting up a 30-35 point night and shooting the Cavaliers out of the game.  Miles must get his head in the game early.  Although an improved defender Stojakovic can be attacked defensively and Miles must not stand and drift in the halfcourt sets and make Stojakovic's night easy on defense.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas vs. Vlade Divac or Brad Miller - Ilgauskas will be one of main factors in the Cavaliers offense this season and will get opportunities against the Kings frontcourt.  Divac is slowing down, hence the Kings acquisition of All Star center Brad Miller and may be slowed even further by a badly sprained ankle.  Divac is not a particularly good defensive center but is savvy, crafty and frustrates opponents by flopping, an art he has down to a science.  Ilgauskas must be careful when making his post moves and creating contact since Divac will be looking to draw offensive fouls to frustrate him and get him out of the game.  Ilgauskas has been prone the last few years to getting offensive fouls in the post while trying to establish position.  Controlled aggression will be the key for Z against Divac.  If Divac cannot go Brad Miller poses different challenges for Ilgauskas.  Miller is a better and more physical defender than Divac but Z has had some success against him in the past when Miller was in the Eastern Conference.  Miller is a perfect for the Kings offense with his ability to run the floor, pass the ball and shoot the face up jumper.  Defensively, Ilgauskas has to be conscious of getting back on defense as Miller will try and run him in transition and beat Z down the floor.  Also, Miller's ability to shoot from the outside will make Z come out and guard him even more so than Divac who picks his spots more these days.  Whichever player plays center Ilgauskas must take a smart approach and have a good game if the Cavaliers are to do well.

The Kings bench vs. the Cavaliers bench - The Kings bench isn't as potent as it once was with Webber's injury, the trading of Hedo Turkoglu and veteran Jim Jackson leaving in free agency but it is still shaping up to be one of the best in the NBA.  They still have perennial 6th man of the Year candidate Bobby Jackson who is capable of taking over games with his scoring, defense and energy.  Jackson is probably capable of starting for over half of the teams in the NBA and may have made the All Star team last year if he had started long enough in place of the injured Mike Bibby.  To offset the loss of Turkoglu and Jackson the Kings signed veteran shooter Anthony Peeler.  Peeler throughout his career has always been a streaky shooter but players like him have always seemed to be Cavaliers killers and bury them with timely three pointers.  Last year it was Damon Jones hitting four threes in the opener.  The Kings wide open style of play fits Peeler and he will get plenty of open looks in their offense.  Finally getting his chance to regularly crack the Kings rotation is SF Gerald Wallace.  Wallace is one of the most athletic and explosive players in the NBA.  His preseason "teabagging" of Houston SF Bostjan Nachbar rivaled the dunk Ricky Davis had over Steve Nash last season.  After one season at Alabama where Wallace couldn't throw it the ocean he has drastically improved his shot to where it is solid.  Wallace played well last season when given the opportunity and did so against the Cavaliers at Gund Arena.  Many teams would love to have Wallace who is a backup in Sacramento but could start for a team like Cleveland.  His energy and athleticism off the bench along with Jackson can change the momentum of a game and spark the raucous Arco Arena crowd.  Rookie PF Darius Songaila is a player that the Kings are high and they signed veteran journeyman PF Tony Massenburg to hold the fort through their injury problems and provide a stabilizing influence.

       The Cavaliers bench in the preseason has been a mixed bag.  The group has been without key members all preseason in SF Ira Newble and SG DaJuan Wagner but has been buoyed by newcomers PG Kevin Ollie and SG J.R. Bremer who is the best outside threat on the Cavaliers.  Bremer is the only scoring threat in a 2nd unit that must hold the fort against the Kings bench that has the ability to bring them back but help put teams away.  He must be on allow the Cavaliers' bench to keep pace with Sacramento.  Defensively, Bremer and Ollie are good defenders who will be able to matchup if Sacramento goes small with Jackson and Bibby in the backcourt.  PG Kevin Ollie must be the calm veteran presence that he is and get the Cavaliers into their offense and be able to execute.  The Cavaliers are a young team with most of them never being in a nationally televised game not to mention in a loud and wild atmosphere like Arco Arena and Ollie may be out there with a 2nd year player, a 3rd year player, a rookie and a 4th year player with none of them with the exception of Bremer ever being under any bright lights.  With the injury to SF Ira Newble rookie SF Jason Kapono might get thrust into the rotation after not expecting to be used much this year.  Kapono has struggled adjusted to the pro game and getting his shot off against NBA defenders.  If he plays he must do what he was drafted to do and that is make shots.  He has a serious physical disadvantage against Gerald Wallace but his shooting could at least keep the Kings defense honest.  The Cavaliers have 3 starters in Miles, Davis and James who could easily play SF if coach Silas doesn't want to throw Kapono to the wolves The much maligned big man duo of PF Chris Mihm and C DeSagana Diop must step up and not hurt the Cavaliers while on the floor.  Darius Songaila and Tony Massenburg are backups they can play with and a matchup they can win.  If Massenburg and Songaila come off the bench and hurt the Cavaliers they have almost no chance at winning.

When Cleveland have the ball: The Cavaliers will look to use their athleticism on the perimeter to get out and run and in the halfcourt they will go inside to Ilgauskas.  Sacramento like most up tempo teams can be ran on.  The Cavaliers are running a variation of the UCLA offense and execution along with limiting turnovers will be key.  They had a problems with turnovers throughout the preseason until the final exhibition game against Washington at home where they only had eight.  Expect Sacramento to pressure James up the court in effort to test and rattle the rookie.  Also, don't be surprised if the Kings throw some zone at Cleveland to make the Cavaliers hit some outside shots and to protects their interior if Divac doesn't play or is less than 100%

When Sacramento has the ball: Sacramento even without Chris Webber is one of most explosive teams in the NBA although they don't play at the breakneck speed they used to.  They employ a variation of the Princeton offense that stresses ball and players movement and features a ton of backdoor cuts.  Sacramento does not only fill the lanes in transition but will shoot the three in transition.  Bibby, Christie, Jackson, Peeler and Stojakovic will all run to the three point line on the break.  The roster is filled with players that can run, pass, shoot and dribble and they share the ball without ego although not having Webber will make them more perimeter oriented.  The Cavaliers like most young teams have trouble with teams like Sacramento that moves the ball and bodies.  The defensive principles that coach Silas has instituted and stressed will be put to the test.

Game outlook: Even without Chris Webber the Cavaliers face a tall order in their season debut against an elite NBA team that is dominant at home with one of the loudest arenas in the NBA especially on national TV with an 18 year old rookie with Alas-like pressure on his shoulders.