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Place: The Gund Arena in Cleveland, OH.
Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
TV/Radio: TNT & FSN Ohio/WMMS 100.7 FM
Projected Cavaliers Starters:
PG: Jeff McInnis
SG: LeBron James
SF: Lee Nailon
PF: Carlos Boozer
C: Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Cavaliers Injury Report: C Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje (ankle sprain), SF
Eric Williams (wrist contusion) and SG DaJuan Wagner (knee) are on the
injured list.
Projected Raptors Starters:
PG: Jalen Rose
SG: Morris Peterson
SF: Vince Carter
PF: Donyell Marshall
C: Chris Bosh
Raptors Injury Report: PG Roger Mason Jr. (sprained ankle), PF
Jerome Moiso (hip flexor strain) and PG Alvin Williams (sore knee) are on
the injured list.
Key Matchups:
Lee Nailon vs. Vince Carter - By far the worst matchup on
the floor for the Cavaliers. Carter is still one of the deluxe
scorers in the NBA and has a very explosive first step to the basket.
Nailon is not particularly quick of foot defensively and the Raptors like
to screen for Carter on the wing then isolate. Carter is also a very
good outside shooter with three point range leading the Raptors shooting
39% from outside the arc. On the wing, Carter likes to go baseline
where he can be explosive finishing around the basket. He also draws
a lot of attention and is an underrated passer off penetration and will
find teammates for open looks. Nalion will be on an island
defensively but he will need help so he has to funnel Carter in a
direction and rely on help defense. One thing Nailon can do is be
physical with Carter since he has a tendency to shy away from contact and
start settling for jumpers and Nailon cannot open up the barn door for
Carter and get beat easily. Again, shade to one direction to help.
Carter can win games from the outside but you'd prefer him taking
contested outside shots rather than breaking down the defense.
Offensively, Nailon can make Carter work on the other end. Carter
leads Toronto in steals but can be attacked defensively. Nailon has
enough to size to be able to work his way into his in between shots
against Carter.
Jalen Rose vs. Jeff McInnis - Jalen Rose is having a down
year but he is a dangerous offensive player and has always been a tough
matchup for the Cavaliers. Rose is a long, lanky 6'8 that has some
playmaking ability along with being able to go off for 25-30 on a given
night. Rose is very good at getting a step on his man and getting
enough separation to go over the top. His length allows him to shoot
and make tough shots and he is very hard to stop when he gets started.
Since coming back from a hand injury Rose is averaging 19.6 ppg.
McInnis who will be giving up 4 inches should pressure Rose when he is
bringing the ball up the floor. Although he has played PG at various
times in his career Rose isn't a natural PG so it will be a good idea for
McInnis to get low and get on him to try and disrupt him. Don't be
surprised if Toronto posts up Rose on McInnis after seeing what the
Warriors were able to do with Mike Dunleavy and spread the floor with
their shooters like the Warriors did. Rose no matter where he plays
has always been aggressive offensively. Also, with Rose's three
point range he cannot go under the screen with Rose since he will step
back and shoot it. Offensively, McInnis just has to be the same old
McInnis. Rose has struggled with individual defense in the past and
McInnis will have opportunities if pick and roll situations and kickouts
off penetration. Attacking Rose defensively could force the Raptors
to go with a more conventional lineup taking away the size mismatch Rose
has at the PG position.
When Cleveland has the ball: The Cavaliers will have their floor
leader back and he is sorely needed. He brings in an element that no
one else can provide which is to spread the floor offensively and be a
threat. Teams could not help off McInnis to crowd Ilgauskas inside
or cut off James' penetration. When the Cavaliers were rolling with
McInnis before his injury they were averaging over 100 ppg. He was a
catalyst for the transition game and halfcourt execution. No
Cavalier benefited more McInnis' playmaking more than Ilgauskas and expect
the Cavaliers to go inside against the thin Chris Bosh and small Raptor
frontline. The Raptors in previous meetings this year have tried to
pack it in and send pick and roles to the sidelines where they can give
help to penetration. The last game the Cavaliers were able run on
Toronto and were able to give Ilgauskas one on one matchups in the posts.
Expect Cleveland to try and do the same.
When Toronto has the ball: Toronto is among the league worst in
scoring, FG% and rebounding but they have the type of personnel to really
give the Cavaliers fits. They have to wing players who can shoot,
create in pass in Rose and Carter, a long PF with three point range in
Marshall and a PF playing Center that can take Ilgauskas away from the
basket. The late season addition of Rod Strickland gives Toronto a
savvy PG that really helps their pick and roll which is has been a yearly
problem for the Cavaliers. The Raptors for all their problems
offensively do shoot 35% from three point range as a team. Don't be
surprised is they try and do what the Warriors did in isolating the
Cavaliers individually, spread the floor and either beat individual
defenders to score or kick out to three point shooters. Their most
dangerous lineup is probably when they go with Strickland, Rose, Carter,
Marshall and Bosh. Expect them to involve Ilgauskas in two man game
situations and run pick and fades with Bosh and backup Corie Blount or
swing the ball opposite when the defense rotates to Marshall for three
pointers on the weakside. The Cavaliers will have to do something
they have rarely done all year; defend individually or help and recover.
Game outlook: The Cavaliers have no more room for error. They
have to win out the rest of the season and hope for help. Maybe even
more than McInnis is that their perimeter defense has regressed to where
it was in the beginning of the season. They are not fighting through
screens, guarding individually or putting any pressure on the ball and it
is creating havoc with the team defense and leaving the big men out to
dry. Toronto poses serious problems the way the Cavaliers have been
playing defensively if the Raptors make shots. Cleveland opponents
have been shooting 55-65% early in games forcing the Cavaliers to play
catch up. The Cavaliers must come with a sense of urgency
defensively and get off to a better defensive start. If the Raptors
are breaking the Cavaliers down and making shots early it could be another
long night regardless of the Raptors 7 game losing streak
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Toronto Raptors
Place: The Gund Arena in Cleveland, OH.
Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
TV/Radio: TNT & FSN Ohio/WMMS 100.7 FM
Projected Cavaliers Starters:
PG: Jeff McInnis
SG: LeBron James
SF: Lee Nailon
PF: Carlos Boozer
C: Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Cavaliers Injury Report: C Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje (ankle sprain), SF
Eric Williams (wrist contusion) and SG DaJuan Wagner (knee) are on the
injured list.
Projected Raptors Starters:
PG: Jalen Rose
SG: Morris Peterson
SF: Vince Carter
PF: Donyell Marshall
C: Chris Bosh
Raptors Injury Report: PG Roger Mason Jr. (sprained ankle), PF
Jerome Moiso (hip flexor strain) and PG Alvin Williams (sore knee) are on
the injured list.
Key Matchups:
Lee Nailon vs. Vince Carter - By far the worst matchup on
the floor for the Cavaliers. Carter is still one of the deluxe
scorers in the NBA and has a very explosive first step to the basket.
Nailon is not particularly quick of foot defensively and the Raptors like
to screen for Carter on the wing then isolate. Carter is also a very
good outside shooter with three point range leading the Raptors shooting
39% from outside the arc. On the wing, Carter likes to go baseline
where he can be explosive finishing around the basket. He also draws
a lot of attention and is an underrated passer off penetration and will
find teammates for open looks. Nalion will be on an island
defensively but he will need help so he has to funnel Carter in a
direction and rely on help defense. One thing Nailon can do is be
physical with Carter since he has a tendency to shy away from contact and
start settling for jumpers and Nailon cannot open up the barn door for
Carter and get beat easily. Again, shade to one direction to help.
Carter can win games from the outside but you'd prefer him taking
contested outside shots rather than breaking down the defense.
Offensively, Nailon can make Carter work on the other end. Carter
leads Toronto in steals but can be attacked defensively. Nailon has
enough to size to be able to work his way into his in between shots
against Carter.
Jalen Rose vs. Jeff McInnis - Jalen Rose is having a down
year but he is a dangerous offensive player and has always been a tough
matchup for the Cavaliers. Rose is a long, lanky 6'8 that has some
playmaking ability along with being able to go off for 25-30 on a given
night. Rose is very good at getting a step on his man and getting
enough separation to go over the top. His length allows him to shoot
and make tough shots and he is very hard to stop when he gets started.
Since coming back from a hand injury Rose is averaging 19.6 ppg.
McInnis who will be giving up 4 inches should pressure Rose when he is
bringing the ball up the floor. Although he has played PG at various
times in his career Rose isn't a natural PG so it will be a good idea for
McInnis to get low and get on him to try and disrupt him. Don't be
surprised if Toronto posts up Rose on McInnis after seeing what the
Warriors were able to do with Mike Dunleavy and spread the floor with
their shooters like the Warriors did. Rose no matter where he plays
has always been aggressive offensively. Also, with Rose's three
point range he cannot go under the screen with Rose since he will step
back and shoot it. Offensively, McInnis just has to be the same old
McInnis. Rose has struggled with individual defense in the past and
McInnis will have opportunities if pick and roll situations and kickouts
off penetration. Attacking Rose defensively could force the Raptors
to go with a more conventional lineup taking away the size mismatch Rose
has at the PG position.
When Cleveland has the ball: The Cavaliers will have their floor
leader back and he is sorely needed. He brings in an element that no
one else can provide which is to spread the floor offensively and be a
threat. Teams could not help off McInnis to crowd Ilgauskas inside
or cut off James' penetration. When the Cavaliers were rolling with
McInnis before his injury they were averaging over 100 ppg. He was a
catalyst for the transition game and halfcourt execution. No
Cavalier benefited more McInnis' playmaking more than Ilgauskas and expect
the Cavaliers to go inside against the thin Chris Bosh and small Raptor
frontline. The Raptors in previous meetings this year have tried to
pack it in and send pick and roles to the sidelines where they can give
help to penetration. The last game the Cavaliers were able run on
Toronto and were able to give Ilgauskas one on one matchups in the posts.
Expect Cleveland to try and do the same.
When Toronto has the ball: Toronto is among the league worst in
scoring, FG% and rebounding but they have the type of personnel to really
give the Cavaliers fits. They have to wing players who can shoot,
create in pass in Rose and Carter, a long PF with three point range in
Marshall and a PF playing Center that can take Ilgauskas away from the
basket. The late season addition of Rod Strickland gives Toronto a
savvy PG that really helps their pick and roll which is has been a yearly
problem for the Cavaliers. The Raptors for all their problems
offensively do shoot 35% from three point range as a team. Don't be
surprised is they try and do what the Warriors did in isolating the
Cavaliers individually, spread the floor and either beat individual
defenders to score or kick out to three point shooters. Their most
dangerous lineup is probably when they go with Strickland, Rose, Carter,
Marshall and Bosh. Expect them to involve Ilgauskas in two man game
situations and run pick and fades with Bosh and backup Corie Blount or
swing the ball opposite when the defense rotates to Marshall for three
pointers on the weakside. The Cavaliers will have to do something
they have rarely done all year; defend individually or help and recover.
Game outlook: The Cavaliers have no more room for error. They
have to win out the rest of the season and hope for help. Maybe even
more than McInnis is that their perimeter defense has regressed to where
it was in the beginning of the season. They are not fighting through
screens, guarding individually or putting any pressure on the ball and it
is creating havoc with the team defense and leaving the big men out to
dry. Toronto poses serious problems the way the Cavaliers have been
playing defensively if the Raptors make shots. Cleveland opponents
have been shooting 55-65% early in games forcing the Cavaliers to play
catch up. The Cavaliers must come with a sense of urgency
defensively and get off to a better defensive start. If the Raptors
are breaking the Cavaliers down and making shots early it could be another
long night regardless of the Raptors 7 game losing streak
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