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Sunday, December 2, 2007 - 12:30 PM EST
TV: FSN Ohio Radio: WTAM 1100
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Boston Celtics
PG Rajon Rondo
ESPN's Scouting Report
Rondo is 6-1 but has insanely long arms that seem to constantly be poking the ball away. There's a cost for this -- he had a high rate of fouls -- but the positives far outweigh the negatives. He's great at back-tapping dribblers as they go by on the pick-and-roll, and is incredibly fast -- I actually saw him run down T.J. Ford on a fast break. He's still learning exactly what he can get away with in terms of gambling for steals, but he's already an ace and is going to get better.
Offensively he's a strong driver going to his right, but he can't shoot and because defenders play so far off him he's always driving into crowds. He's good in transition and draws a lot of fouls, but he needs to improve as a passer.
SG Ray Allen
ESPN's Scouting Report
Allen might have the best jump shot in the game, a quick, smooth stroke from over his head that he fires with textbook form. That's the strongest part of his game, as he's attempted eight 3-pointers a game the past two seasons, but there's plenty more. He's also a skillful dribbler who can handle the ball like a point guard, and a quality finisher in traffic who still can get to the rim at 32. His jumper is just as deadly off the dribble as it is on the catch, and the threat of it forces defenders to play him close and expose themselves to the drive.
Allen is a subpar defender who is undersized for the position and no longer moves well laterally. His effort level is also seriously lacking -- he'll make some incredibly halfhearted plays, especially in transition defense. While his lethargy was less transparently obvious in 2006-07 than it had been a year earlier, he's still an easy mark for opposing scorers.
SF Paul Pierce
ESPN's Scouting Report
Pierce is a deadly scorer because he can fill it up in such a variety of ways. His 3-point shot has to be respected, and he's strong shooting pull-up 2-pointers off the dribble as well, especially going left. But he also can score inside despite not having the most blazing of first steps. Instead, he utilizes quick spins to suddenly put his defender at a disadvantage and leans in to draw fouls.
Pierce is also a very effective in the post, where he might play more often this year now that Jefferson is gone. He murders defenders who try to front him in the post, walling them off and then scoring once the ball is reversed.
Historically, Pierce has been a good defender, but he hasn't seemed as motivated the past two seasons as he's watched the team around him crumble. One presumes he'll dial things back up this season now that Boston is expected to contend. He's not a brilliant one-on-one defender, but he can hold his own and is a more active help defender than many other stars. He's also an above-average rebounder.
PF Kevin Garnett
Garnett is an elite talent because of his tremendous variety of skills. Though a 7-footer, he's comfortable handling the ball on the perimeter and is one of the best passing big men in the game. Additionally, he has range out to 20 feet on his jumper and thus is deadly on pick-and-pop plays.
Garnett doesn't like to post up close to the basket, where his skinny frame takes a lot of pounding, but he'll set up shot about 15 feet away on the left side, usually to work himself into position for a turnaround. He loves to use a "Dream Shake" move after a couple of dribbles -- in truth, he tends to change pivot feet when he does this but rarely gets called for it -- and can get his jumper off against anyone. However, because he takes so many jumpers he doesn't get to the line as much as other stars.
Defensively, Garnett is an elite player who competes as hard as anyone on the league. His lack of muscle limits his usefulness against big post players, but he's a force coming from the weak side. He's at his best in zones, where he can play the top and terrorize smaller ball handlers but still has the dexterity to get back to the boards for the rebound. Best of all, he does all this without fouling -- Garnett had the third fewest fouls per minute among power forwards last season.
Perhaps the one flaw in his defensive game comes when he guards perimeter players -- he tends to play them too closely instead of playing off and allowing his length to deter the shot. If he were less aggressive out there, fewer players would go by him.
C Kendrick Perkins
ESPN's Scouting Report
Perkins stayed in the lineup primarily because of his post defense. A bruising, physical defender with a warrior mentality, he makes up for a lack of height at the center position because of his wide body and intensity. Surprisingly, he also ranked 14th among centers in blocks per minute. However, a relatively high foul rate tends to limit his minutes, and slow feet hurt his pick-and-roll defense.
Offensively, he's a below-the-rim guy who has trouble finishing at the basket. His shooting range doesn't go much beyond five feet, as he can make short-range hook shots but nothing beyond. He's not a ballhandler either, and with the Celtics' additions this season they'll likely spend the year playing keepaway from him.
BOSTON ROTATION
Eddie House (PG) / Tony Allen (SG) / James Posey (SF) / Brian Scalabrine (PF) / Scot Pollard (C)
BOSTON BENCH
>> Gabe Pruitt (PG)
>> Leon Powe (PF)
>> Brandon Wallace (PF)
>> Glen Davis (C)
INJURY REPORT
None Reported
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Cleveland Cavaliers
PG Daniel Gibson
ESPN's Scouting Report
At 6-2 with decent athleticism, Gibson should have the size to be able to get to the basket more than he does -- something he showed at least briefly in the Detroit series. The threat of his shot could become an especially potent weapon, as he's a deadly outside shooter who should be able to open up driving lanes with a pump fake.
Gibson isn't a natural point guard by any stretch, but on this team that isn't a problem -- LeBron James and Larry Hughes do most of the ballhandling anyway. However, he'll have to cut down on the turnovers (a common rookie problem) in coming seasons.
Defensively, Gibson seems to do better against bigger point guards, especially in the playoffs. He seemed to have a much easier time defending bigger points like Chauncey Billups and Jason Kidd than he did chasing around Tony Parker.
SG Sasha Pavlovic
ESPN's Scouting Report
An athletic 6-7 forward, Pavlovic can defend both wing positions and is a good finisher in transition. Defense is his best asset, as the Cavs used him as their primary stopper against high-scoring wings and he was a big factor in their fourth-rated defense.
While Pavlovic is a good leaper, he doesn't get many open-court chances because he's such a poor ballhandler, and his inability to handle also limits his ability to take slower players off the dribble in the halfcourt. He's developed a niche by cultivating his skill at shooting 3s from the wing, and since he doesn't turn 24 until early November his game has a chance to progress further from here.
SF LeBron James
ESPN's Scouting Report
One reason James often ends up trying to make a heroic shot at the end of the clock is because there is so little going on up until that point. James tends to be far too methodical when attacking defenses, often waiting several seconds to read the defense before he attacks. That tends to bring the offense to a halt and makes it easier for help defenders to collapse on him. His habit of retreating when double-teamed on the pick-and-roll only exacerbates this problem.
This is particularly noticeable when James tries to post up. Despite his imposing physique, James rarely attacks opponents on the blocks and isn't terribly effective when he does. All he does is wait for the double-team instead of making a quick move, neutralizing what should be his best tool.
Of course, other players would kill for such problems. James is an amazingly good ball handler for his size, acting as the Cavs' de facto point guard and ranking 12th among small forwards in assist ratio. He's almost impossible to stop once he gets some momentum toward the basket and, though a streaky shooter, can get his shot off over anyone. James is also a devastating finisher in transition, making it unfortunate the Cavs can't find a guard to help push the tempo more often.
Defensively, James does a poor job fighting through screens but the rest of his game has become pretty solid. He's still better at playing passing lanes than he is at making help-side plays or taking charges, and he rarely guards the opponent's top scorer. On the other hand, nobody seems particularly anxious to attack him, and he's virtually impossible to post up against.
PF Drew Gooden
ESPN's Scouting Report
Gooden's best asset isn't his scoring, but his rebounding. Despite a slender build, Gooden is a force on the glass because of his quick hops and a nose for the ball. Gooden had the sixth-best rebound rate among power forwards last season, and that was completely consistent with what he'd done the previous two campaigns.
Gooden can be a frustrating player because of his concentration lapses. He'll lose track of his man or forget a play and go the wrong way. He cemented this impression at the end of Game 5 of the Cleveland-Detroit series, when the Cavs had a four-point lead in the final seconds and you could see LeBron James screaming at Gooden during a timeout to stay on the floor. The first thing Gooden did? Take a flying leap at Rasheed Wallace while he was shooting a 3-pointer -- even though the only way Detroit could tie was by being fouled on a triple.
People tend to focus on Gooden's mental lapses, but he also makes a lot of positive plays at the defensive end. Gooden is very quick for his size and his ability to switch out on guards on screens or rotate off his man is one of the reasons the Cavs were the league's fourth-best defense last season. He's not as good in post defense, where his lack of strength becomes a factor, and he's a poor shot-blocker, but overall he's a solid defensive player.
C Zydrunas Ilgauskas
ESPN's Scouting Report
Though the Cavs go to him less often these days, the 7-3 Ilgauskas is still a weapon in the post. He's become increasingly reliant on a sweeping one-handed hook shot going to his right, although he also has a nice touch on turnarounds going to either side.
Ilgauskas is also very dangerous on the offensive boards, where despite a lack of elevation he has an almost Rodman-like knack for tipping the ball multiple times before either possessing it or tipping it in. Along with his height, that same ability makes him very good on jump balls.
Defensively, Ilgauskas has the size to be an effective deterrent around the basket, but struggles when he is pulled farther from the basket. Teams try to attack him in screen-and-roll plays, where he struggles to help on the guard and still get back to his man. For that reason, Anderson Varejao often finished games in the middle instead of Ilgauskas.
CLEVELAND ROTATION
Eric Snow (PG) / Damon Jones (G) / Ira Newble (SF) / Devin Brown (G-F) / Dwayne Jones (F-C)
CLEVELAND BENCH
>> Cedric Simmons (F-C)
>> Shannon Brown (G)
>> Demetris Nichols (G)
INJURY REPORT
LeBron James (F) | Status Alert: Probable with a sprained left index finger.
Larry Hughes (G) | Status Alert: Out until at least mid-December with a bone bruise.
Cedric Simmons | Status Alert: Questionable with an ankle injury.
Donyell Marshall (F) | Status Alert: Out until at least late January with a right wrist injury.
Anderson Varejao (F) | Status Alert: Eating pie with Dan Fegan.
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GAME NOTES
· The Cavaliers have won eight of the last nine games against the Celtics. Cleveland has won four of the last five meetings in Boston.
· Drew Gooden has averaged 17.8 points on .544 shooting and 12.0 rebounds per game in his last four outings.
· Daniel Gibson scored a team-high 24 points and dished out a regular season career-high seven assists at Toronto on Nov. 30. It marked his first regular season career game with at least 20 points and five assists.
· Over his last four games, Sasha Pavlovic has averaged 16.5 points per game and has gone 9-19 (.474) from three-point range.
· Today’s matchup features two of the league’s top three-point shooting teams. The Celtics rank third in the league in threepoint percentage (.399) while the Cavs are 10th (.370). Since Nov. 24, Cleveland leads the league in total three-pointers made
(45).
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TIDBITS
FRONT AND CENTER: The Cavaliers frontcourt of LeBron James, Drew Gooden and Zydrunas Ilgauskas was dominant in their showdown with the Celtics on Nov. 27. The trio combined for 77 points on 28-49 (.571) shooting, 31 rebounds, 18 assists and seven blocked shots. Here’s a look at each of their individual nights:
· James: Posted 38 points, 13 assists and four rebounds…went 14-15 from the free throw line including a perfect 6-6 in the overtime period
· Gooden: Scored 16 points on a perfect 8-8 shooting in the third quarter on his way to a season-high 24 points and 13 rebounds
· Ilgauskas: Posted his 10th double-double of the season with 15 points and a game-high 14 rebounds to go along with a season-high five assists and four blocks.
The Cavaliers are currently leading the season series 1-0…The Cavs won the season series 2-1 last season…Kevin Garnett averaged a double-double with 18.0 points and 11.5 boards in the two contests…Garnett also recorded 2.5
steals and 2.5 blocks in the games…The Celtics averaged 52.0 rebounds in the three match-ups…Paul Pierce is the leading returning scorer for the Celtics against the Cavs with 19.0 points per game…LeBron James averaged 35.0
points in two games against the Green.
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CCF'S PREDICTION
CAVS - 100
Celtics - 108
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