Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Phoenix Suns

Place: America West Arena in Phoenix, Arizona
Time: 10:30 p.m.
TV/Radio: TNT/ WTAM 1100

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 Suns Starting Lineup:

PG: Stephon Marbury
SG: Joe Johnson
SF: Shawn Marion
PF: Amare Stoudemire
C:  Jake Voskhul

Suns Injury Report: C Scott Williams (thumb surgery) and PF Robert Archibald (sprained toe) are on the Injured List.

Key Matchups:

LeBron James vs. Stephon Marbury - James is coming off a spectacular debut in which he played heavy minutes and with back-to-back games ihe will likely have to play heavy minutes again.  James and the Cavaliers are at their best when he has the ball in his hands making plays.  He must continue to show his great poise, smart decision making along with be aggressive on both ends of the court.  Although his jumper was falling last night James is wildly streaky and must not fall in love with his outside shot and continue the varied ways of scoring he displayed against the Kings.  Each night in the NBA is a new challenge and tonight it is Stephon Marbury.  Marbury is one of the elite PG in the NBA and the force that drives the Suns.  Marbury has a combination of size, speed, quickness and strength rare in NBA PGs and he has the ball in his hands a lot.  Very skilled at running the pick and roll Marbury will either turn the corner and get into the lane where is he a danger to score and find the open man or step back behind the screen and shoot the three pointer.  Marbury has legitimate range out to 27-28 feet and when his jumper is on he is one of the least defendable players in the NBA.  The Cleveland big men must do a better job of showing on the pick and roll and James must fight through the screens and contest Marbury's jumper.  Marbury also is very right hand dominant when driving and even when crossing over he will usually find a way to go back right.  Many teams know this but Marbury is athletic enough to keep doing it.  

Carlos Boozer vs. Amare Stoudemire - It doesn't get any easier for Carlos Boozer.  After battling against a physical center playing PF in Brad Miller Boozer now has to deal with one of the most imposing athletic specimens at PF in the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Amare Stoudemire.  Stoudemire is that rare mixture of power, explosion and athleticism.  He is very active and aggressive around the basket getting rebounds, challenging shots and dunking.  Boozer must match Stoudemire in his intensity or he will have the chance to physically dominate inside and sparks the Suns emotionally.  Stoudemire's post skills are raw and he still is refining his touch around the basket.  Boozer must keep him from getting deep and make him shoot over the top instead of attacking the rim.  When a shot goes up you have to get a body on Stoudemire or he will keep balls alive or dunk over your back.  Boozer has to have the same fearlessness and mature play he has shown since last year and be aggressive in his own right.

When Cleveland has the ball: It is becoming more apparent that James fuels the Cleveland offense.  In the halfcourt and transition James makes the Cavaliers look a whole lot smoother when he is making good decisions.  The Cavaliers still must have more ball movement when James isn't handling ball and establish their inside game to take the pressure of the perimeter players.  The team must do a better job of securing the defense boards in order to fuel their transition game.  JR Bremer was outstanding in his role of coming in and making open jumpers and he must remain a force off the bench since the Cavaliers bench without SG Dajuan Wagner and SF Ira Newble lacks offensive punch. 

When Phoenix has the ball: The Suns are a team similar to the Cavaliers in that they have very athletic perimeter players in Joe Johnson, Shawn Marion and Marbury who like to get out and run.  The difference between this Suns team and those of the past is that Frank Johnson has gotten this group to play defense.  They get into the passing lanes and are very aggressive.  They are one team that can match the Cavaliers perimeter athleticism.  The Suns run a lot of high pick and rolls with Marbury and he controls their offense.  They will go inside to Stoudemire in the post and All Star Shawn Marion can score in a multitude of ways with his improved outside shot.  Marion is one of the best rebounding SFs in the NBA and is a rare 20-10 player at that position.  Marbury, Marion and Stoudemire are the Suns main core who are explosive and surprised many people around the NBA last year in getting Phoenix back to the playoffs.  

       Off the bench the Suns have a mix of veterans and youth with Penny Hardaway, Brevin Knight and Tom Gugliotta all in the rotation.  Hardaway after suffering a multitude of injuries throughout his career is no longer the All NBA player he once was but has settled in the role of a key veteran player that can make plays down the stretch of games.  Hardaway has the ability to play PG allowing Marbury to move off the ball at times to make even better use of his scoring ability.  Hardaway has a high basketball IQ that has been invaluable to a young Suns team.  Former Cavalier Brevin Knight is a solid backup PG who can run a team and deliver great pressure on the ball which Suns coach Frank Johnson I'm sure likes.  The Suns also have two young shooters in Casey Jacobsen and Zarko Carbarkapa.  The Suns are really high on the 6'11 Cabarkapa who has good range along with being pretty athletic, long and mobile.  The rookie from the Yugoslavian League saw minutes down the stretch in his pro debet in a close game against the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs. 

       The Suns lack size after trading their big project center Jake Tsakalidis along with Bo Outlaw in a cap clearing move.  They can be attacked inside.

Game outlook: The Suns are not the Kings but they are a playoff team and the Cavaliers must continue to show the same intensity they had during their second half rally against Sacramento.  The Cavaliers veterans Ricky Davis, Darius Miles and Zydrunas Ilgauskas must play better since the 18 year old rookie will not be able carry the team every night.  Davis and Z, in particular, are the team leaders and the other focal points besides James and they must play at a high level for the Cavaliers to win games.  How James responds after an emotional night in Sacramento will be key since there is no one he can take a night off against Phoenix.  The team must find a way to defend the pick and roll which they have not done well in over 2 years and rebound the ball during crunchtime moments of the game.  

       The Suns will be making their home debut and they will be amped up after their stellar season and their first James Caravan encounter.